


So No One Told Us

by kurokobun



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Apartment Complex Setting, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Smut, Friends AU, Humor, M/M, Romance, Roommates, Very Loosely Based on F.R.I.E.N.D.S
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-03-01 19:37:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 68,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2785262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurokobun/pseuds/kurokobun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Kagami Taiga and Himuro Tatsuya decided to move to Japan to get away from some bad memories and a toxic environment, they didn't expect to end up in a close-knit, queer apartment complex community that they sometimes thinks of as the best and the worst thing that happened to them.</p><p>"<i>And, despite the fact that Kagami had a feeling he was going to regret it, he put the lingering thought of perhaps looking for a different place to live on ice. If only because with Kuroko’s help, their new home could potentially be more interesting than horrible. </i></p><p>
  <i>Maybe.</i>
</p><p><i>He also <b>really</b> liked the burger joint two blocks down.</i>"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The One Where Kagami and Himuro Moves In

If Kagami had to be completely honest he was not sure why they had somehow decided that Tokyo would be the best place to go back to. He hadn’t been to Japan since he was nine years old, and yet Himuro — his big brother, and the guy that needed him the most right now —had convinced him that going back would be a new adventure.

All things considered, he could see _why_ Himuro would want to get as far away as possible. Between their verbally abusive, homophobic father and the otherwise tough neighborhood, who could blame him? They had saved up money, were done with studies, and they didn’t own much that they’d have to bring with them. They also spoke the language fluently, and had maintained a basic understanding of the written language; all thanks to their dedicated mother, who was no longer dedicated enough to stand up for her eldest and biological son, but instead thought it would be a good idea to promise them money if they got the hell out of there.

In a way Kagami would like to believe that it was a way of protecting Himuro that she insisted they move away from the neighborhood, but he remained slightly doubtful.

Overall though, they would survive back in their birth country no problem. Himuro had done some exchanges throughout High School, so at least one of them had seen the country since they were kids, and Kagami knew he could manage just fine. He applied for a job at the local fire department, and, thankfully, got a positive answer. So the decision was finally made as they also found a newly opened slot in an apartment complex (that Kagami noted had been described as incredibly LGBT supportive) in the middle of Tokyo.

The following July they moved back to Japan.

“This place is a bit… fancy. I know mom keeps sending money, but you don’t need to go out of your way to find a place that is accepting of my sexuality,” was the first thing Himuro said as they entered their new living place.

Now, the eldest brother was not ungrateful. If anything, Himuro thought it was sweet that Kagami had wanted to find a more accepting place for them to live. Considering a huge part of their decision to move to Tokyo was because of a non-accepting home, Himuro found himself appreciating it even more. Not to mention the apartments in this building were amazing-looking (lots of room for two people; it had two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a connected kitchen and living room, plus a second floor, which was not that roomy, sure, but you could still have a guest sleeping up there). Needless to say, Himuro was simply worried about the payments. He wasn’t employed — _yet_ — so until he found a job it would be Kagami’s task to provide for them.

He tried not to let it bother him, but being the older brother it just did not feel _right_ that their roles had seemed so reversed lately. Kagami had been the one to stand up for him when their father hadn’t, Kagami had been the one that took responsibility and helped him make the decision to move back to Japan, away from the toxic environment they lived in; Kagami was also the one he’d leaned on for the past months, Kagami was the one who had found them a place to live, and now Kagami was the one who’d be paying the bills.

Overall, Himuro felt more than a little… useless.

Kagami’s foot made its presence known as it pushed against his back. Himuro glanced up in irritation, but his expression quickly molded into a slight smirk as Kagami gave him a nudge with his toes and said: “Oh, put a lid on it. You’ve had enough people on your back the last months. It’s not _that_ bad in comparison to everything else. We can pay a little extra for more accepting people to meet in the halls. Now help me get the other boxes.”

And that was pretty much the final word said on that matter.

It took many hours to get everything in place and by the time they were done Kagami had passed out on the couch, clearly exhausted. Himuro had to tilt his head at the sight of his younger brother who, despite being such a big brute, looked like a baby when he was sleeping with those long arms, and legs hanging off of the couch. He did contemplate waking him up, but instead settled for draping a blanket over him, and silently thanked him as he had done many times before.

Starting from scratch didn’t seem so bad as long as they had each other.

———

The next morning was the first time Kagami met Kuroko Tetsuya. Himuro had just stumbled out of his bedroom — somehow being able to look graceful even in neatly worn PJ pants and with his hair sticking up in various directions (though notably his bangs were still in place) — probably due to the heavenly smell of Kagami’s cooking.

“Please tell me you made sunny-side-ups.” Himuro slid down on the chair, and peered over the table with hungry eyes. He knew he sounded like a child — which did not help this whole feeling-like-our-roles-have-become-reversed thing he and Kagami had going on — but Kagami’s breakfast was worth the jab at his elderly brother pride. And it wasn’t just the regular breakfast either; it was the comfort breakfast with everything.

Including the sunny-sides-up with pepper he’d been hoping for, and— oh god, _pancakes with blueberry jam_.

“You brought this from home,” Himuro noted with a slight smile that already promised a bit of nostalgia.

Kagami could understand though. They would feel like foreigners for quite some time to come, but that was part of the process, something they’d have to deal with. He was about to point out that Himuro could be a real sap sometimes — actually _more_ than sometimes when he thought about it — in an attempt to get that almost sad smile off his face, but before he could their doorbell rang, and they both threw a look in the direction of their door.

Casually removing a towel from his bare shoulders, Kagami headed over to see who would a) be up at this hour and b) ring the doorbell of the new guys who didn’t know anyone. Well, _yet_ anyway. Kagami swore if it was the welcoming comity he’d rather stay were he was and pretend he was sleeping.

He still remembered when he moved into his apartment on the south side LA for the short amount of time he was a basketball coach for a kid’s team as a job for the summer. He didn’t care what that chick — Margaret something — said, those cookies had given him a stomachache for a month. Nice gesture; disastrous result.

As it turned out, he wasn’t completely wrong about his suspicions. Except that instead of a middle-aged woman with very distracting botox lips and gravity-defying, fake breasts, there was a short, young man with light blue hair, and even bluer eyes. Probably the bluest eyes Kagami had ever seen in his entire life. The young man was holding a small stack of papers, and a basket of what smelled like (and looked like) newly baked muffins. Although he had a very passive and unreadable expression, the guy didn’t come off as unfriendly.

“Uh… can I help you?” Kagami asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

“Good morning. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya; I live right across the hall, and Akashi-kun asked me to give you the overview paper of the residents on our floor, and welcome you to the building. You’ve moved here with your brother, yes?”

Kagami blinked dumbfounded at the bluntness, but recovered quickly enough from the surprise that this total stranger would _know_ that. “Uh, yeah, uh thanks, I gue—”

“Who is it, Taiga?” Himuro stuck his head out beside his redheaded brother, and he too blinked at the guy in front of them. He quickly switched over to Japanese. “Oh, I’m sorry. Who are you?”

“Good morning. My name is Kuroko Tetsuya; I live right across the hall, and Akashi-kun asked me to give you the overview paper of the residents on our floor, and welcome you to the building.”

 _Is this guy a robot_? Kagami tilted his head, clearly fascinated by the thought of living across the hall from a cyborg. And what was an overview paper anyway? He’d lived in various apartment complexes, but he’d never gotten an own paper explaining the names and locations of his neighbors. He’d lived in America too long to know whether this was common in Japan or not though, but he had a feeling it wasn’t. This entire apartment complex was plain weird, and a part of him had to wonder if it was even legal.

“Well, thank you. I’m Himuro Tatsuya, this is Kagami Taiga.”

“You must be his brother then; very nice to meet you both. Here, a paper for each of you. Oh and muffins. They are not from me, but from your other neighbor Murasakibara-kun. He runs the café you saw right across the street from our building.”

A little overwhelmed, but still functioning Himuro and Kagami accepted the papers, and the basket of muffins. “Uh, thank you. Again.” Himuro was a bit worried, because he had never quite had a sweet tooth (food had always been Kagami’s forte) and yet he got water in his mouth by just the _smell_ of these things.

“Akashi-kun will also be inviting us all to dinner on the top floor tomorrow at seven. He hopes you’ll be there. I strongly advice that you do.” The blue-eyed man — _Kuroko_ , Kagami reminded himself — then bowed and exited the hallway, leaving two baffled Americans behind to look after him.

It took a couple of seconds before Kagami registered that Himuro had already served himself with the baked goods, and that the smell itself was absolutely _amazing_. After closing the door behind them, the younger brother attempted to reach his hand out for his own share of the muffins, but Himuro quickly moved the basket out of his reach.

“Oi! What are you doing?” Kagami asked offended.

“Mine.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Since when did you like sweet things anyway?!”

“Since right now.”

Kagami was amazed that the wrestling match that followed hadn’t gotten them kicked out of the complex on the spot.

———

He hadn’t really intended to check out this Murasakibara guy’s café (it was called _Purple Muffin_ , what kind of corny name was _that_?) with these _amazing_ muffins, or at least not this fast, but on his way home from his first day at work Kagami was hungry, and in desperate need of _good_ coffee. No matter how much his brother tried to prove him otherwise, that abomination of powder coffee he’d brought from America just did not work. Not for him anyway, which was why he found himself in line to order down in the infamous café across the street that was absolutely packed.

Despite his superiority in strength and height, he had not managed to snatch even _one_ freaking muffin from his brother this morning. Instead Himuro had used dirty tricks — _yes_ , tickling someone you _know_ will crumble with the tiniest finger to his ribs is _cheating_ — and that had been enough for him to escape to his bedroom with the basket.

Kagami had threatened not to make him breakfast for months, but it hadn’t worked. Those muffins were clearly magic, because Himuro had sacrificed his sunny-side-ups for them, and that was just not normal.

Like, _at all_.

“Hello, Kagami-kun.”

Said redhead almost choked on his own spit, and jumped to the side with a (manly) squeak. He hadn’t noticed — what the _fuck_?

“The hell! You almost scared me to death!” Kagami croaked. “Since when were you standing there?!”

Kuroko shrugged nonchalantly. “For a while. You didn’t notice me at first, but I felt like making conversation so I decided to say hello.”

“ _Jeez_.” Kagami put a hand to his head and scratched slightly. “You do that a lot?”

“Not intentionally.”

“I seriously don’t believe that.”

The blue haired man simply looked at him with a blank expression, and it was kind of making him uncomfortable. This guy had mentioned he lived across the hall, right? Kagami clicked his tongue. “What’s with this place’s pastries anyway? That basket you gave to my brother is already empty, and, trust me, Tatsuya really cares about his figure, so that’s not normal.”

“Ah, that usually happens when I bring some of Murasakibara-kun’s muffins to new neighbors.” Kuroko stepped a bit forward as the line shortened. “There is a reason the café is usually this crowded. Try some for yourself and come sit with us.”

“Us?”

Turned out _us_ was a pink haired, rather attractive woman, a blond pretty boy that even had his own brother beat in the appearance department (not that Kagami had ever cared about _that_ kind of stuff, but he wasn’t blind either), a passive-looking dude with green hair and glasses, and lastly a more plain-looking, dark haired male who was poking the green haired dude’s cheek, causing a very visible vein to appear on his forehead.

Kagami felt like he had just joined the circus. Not that he was particularly normal himself, with his towering height and crimson hair, but, hey, there were more colors on this table than in his coloring book from fourth grade.

“Everyone, this is Kagami-kun; he moved into Nijimura-senpai’s old apartment,” Kuroko said, gesturing towards the redhead beside him. Kagami was holding a tray of muffins, and a rather big cup of coffee, so he didn’t wave, but simply served the crowd a slight nod.

Their names were Kise Ryouta (blond, clingy, and seemingly very fond of hugging Kuroko like you would a stuffed toy from your childhood), Momoi Satsuki (also very fond of hugging Kuroko in a manner equivalent to a teddy bear), Midorima Shintarou (passive, hostile four-eyes with what seemed like a permanent pulsing vein of annoyance in his forehead) and Takao Kazunari (a guy whose eyes promised mischief and misery, and had Kagami wary from the very first glace.)

He wasn’t good at greetings or niceties, he would admit as much. He was strong, tall, donning great, defined muscles, generally good at sports and cooking, but he didn’t have much of a talent for either socializing or smarts. His grades left from school would give you the general idea of the latter. Yet, it wasn’t _too_ difficult top carry on a regular conversation with either of Kuroko’s friends, and, he supposed, _his_ new neighbors.

Overall, the first meeting was short-lived, however, seeing as Momoi ushered Kise out of the café, mumbling something about a late-night shoot. Kagami had been meaning to ask what they all did for a living, but the conversation was somehow lost when Kuroko started asking _him_ questions instead of the other way around.

“So, Kagami-kun, if you don’t mind me asking, if Himuro-san is your brother, how come you do not share the same surname?”

Kagami hadn’t realized that might actually perk anyone’s interest, but he had been asked the same question often enough not to be bothered by it. “I’m adopted,” he said simply. “My biological parents were best friends with my brother’s parents, and looked at them as family. When I was born, it was decided that if anything were to happen to them the Himuros would get custody.” He paused, took a sip of his coffee — man, this was _way_ better than that powder stuff — and continued. “My parents died in a car accident when I was three, and to honor their memory mom and dad let me keep their last name.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

“Well, I don’t remember them much. I was too young.” Kagami shrugged.

Takao put his chin in the palm of his hand and sent him a grin that carried on a little less mischief than usual. “Well looks like you’ll fit right in, Kagami.” He met the redhead’s gaze and continued by saying: “Kuro-chan lost his parents too, and was raised by his grandma, Shin-chan’s parents disowned him, Ki-chan was raised by his sisters, and Momoi-san— well, she doesn’t count, she’s the most normal one around here.”

“I beg to differ,” Midorima murmured under his breath.

Takao snickered. “You should be glad she isn’t around to hear you say that, Shin-chan.”

Kagami didn’t know what made him more uncomfortable, Kuroko who was clearly observing him with those big-blue eyes of his, or the two other loons that seemed to be just unusually honest— actually, more like downright blunt. Not that he minded per say, considering he’d grown up in America he was used to bluntness, he just wasn’t very good at dealing with it.

Absently, Kagami took a bite of his first of five muffins. His eyes widened, attention instantly turned towards the pastry. “ _Wow_.”

Smiling smugly, Takao finished his own coffee with a final sip. “I suggest you go see Riko-san and Hyuuga on your way back. They live on the floor under us, apartment 32. If they like you they’ll give you a discount when joining their gym three blocks from here. It’s a really great place and Riko-san is excellent at what she does. Sure, she’s incredibly scary, but if you want good results she’s your woman.”

“ _When_ joining their gym?” Kagami swallowed his— wait, had he just finished all those muffins while Takao was talking? Well shit. Said dark haired man raised an eyebrow as a response, and Kagami frowned. “Let me guess, you guys are all members.”

“For our own health’s sake, yes,” Midorima grumbled.

Considering he’d just inhaled five of those muffins in a matter of a minute — which was done so incredibly fast it was impressive even for _him_ — maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea.

———

It didn’t really take that long to get into how things worked around their new apartment complex, or get to know the people they would be living close to for— well, a good while. One dinner at the top floor with the owner, and Kagami knew he had it all down. Or at least he had the general picture. Then again, that enough had almost caused him to suggest to Himuro that they move away as quickly as possible. Because, really, these people were just as colorful as some of their hairdos, and not necessarily only in the queer way.

Akashi wasn’t that hard to deal with. He was fair, or so Kuroko told him anyway before introducing them. He was polite, though the way he kept using their first names without knowing them for more than a few minutes really gave off an uncomfortable vibe and that said a _lot_ seeing as Kagami was used to that in America. He supposed it was the _way_ Akashi did it, not the fact that he _was_ doing it. Overall, Akashi made it clear that as long as they followed his conditions — they were given more papers during the dinner; Kagami felt he had come to a new workplace rather than a new home — and behaved accordingly, they wouldn’t be seeing much of him.

Apparently, their landlord was not only a billionaire due to successfully selling his deceased father’s company to another big corporation, but he was also a professional shogi-player. Although the curiosity was gnawing on him, Kagami had refrained from asking why Akashi would invest in one apartment complex in the middle of Tokyo. The apartments looked fancy on the inside, but on the outside they weren’t all that impressive, nor was the neighborhood.

Kagami was pretty sure that the building next to them was a brothel, and down the streets he’d seen more shady places than he’d done downtown LA, which said a _lot_ , so he really didn’t understand why a classy person like Akashi had decided to take over this building of all places. He let it be however. Kagami had learned from an early age that some things you just didn’t question for your own sanity’s sake.

At the dinner he was also introduced to the maker of those strangely addictive pastries, and owner of the café across the street. Murasakibara Atsushi was a lot of things, but the first thought that had kept sweeping into Kagami’s head was: _huge_. Kagami, who was used to looking down at everyone, had to bow his head back to look this guy in the eyes. Apparently, Murasakibara had been 6’10 in _High School,_ and Kagami had thought _he_ had hit an early growth-spurt.

By now, the guy had to be at least 7 feet, or maybe even more.

“I’m 7’3,” Murasakibara said, biting down on his maiubo.

Kagami blinked. Murasakibara probably assumed that everyone tried to guess his height when first meeting him. Which really wasn’t a wrong assumption. “Oh… _right_.”

“You’re as tall as Mine-chin and Mido-chin so you’re not so tiny.”

“Uh.”

Kuroko filled in the blanks. According to him, Murasakibara wasn’t socially gifted, but really wasn’t that bad off in math, chemistry, baking, cooking or basketball. The latter being pretty self-explanatory. Other than being freakishly tall, he had another characteristic that involved his never-ending consumption of sweets. If you looked away from the fact that he was somewhat childish (though not as bad as back in High School, apparently) and rather lazy, he was pretty likable. Well, those were Kuroko’s words, not his own.

Murasakibara’s roommate, however, was not likable at all. Once again, Kuroko had an input, telling Kagami that his opinion was probably a result of said roommate and him pretty much being two different sides of the same coin, but to Kagami that just felt insulting.

Aomine Daiki — roommate of the screw loose candy man — was a tanned male, with dark blue hair, born the same year and even the same _month_ as Kagami himself. He was cocky, way too-full-of-himself, and already after one conversation Kagami could tell they would not get along. _At all_. And as luck would have it (note sarcasm), they lived right next to each other. Wall to wall. And _yeah_ , Kagami knew he could be quick to judge, but there was no mistake that Aomine was just the kind of guy he tended to clash with, and the kind of guy he would probably hear have sex enough to want to plant his face into a wall.

His suspicions were confirmed when Kuroko slipped him some earplugs when the party was over. They weren’t wrapped in gift-wrap, but they still had a little bow on them. Kagami didn’t know whether to be grateful, or shove his hand into Kuroko’s face. He decided on neither, and just murmured that the younger man was an idiot.

Still, Kuroko proved to be a rather reliable, and, as annoying as it was, a _helpful_ source for information.

He told him useful things, and— uh, not so useful things.

Like, Kagami wasn’t sure he needed to know that Kuroko and Takao apparently had a bet every weekend about whether Kise and Aomine would bring home brunets, blonds, redheads or someone with unnatural hair-colors. Apparently, that didn’t happen often enough to get individual categories.

Which meant that Kagami had another thing to add to his ever-growing knowledge about the apartment complex’s inhabitants that was part of Kuroko’s friend circle. Kise, Aomine and Momoi were single (actually most of them were single, but apparently only three seemed to really play the field), and often brought company home during the weekends, or in Aomine’s case about every other day. He seemed to be rather fond of females with big breasts. They didn’t have to be model-thin, some could actually be a bit pudgy, but there was no denying that every girl had a big bust.

“Is he some kind of sex addict?” Kagami had asked after the second week while he and Kuroko were doing laundry. By then he’d unfortunately heard Aomine’s groaning through the wall after his earplugs had popped off during the night, and he had woken up, because _w-o-w_ that guy was loud. Like, _extremely_ loud.

“Aomine-kun has always been very sexual. I think he lost his virginity when we were in our last year of middle school,” Kuroko answered, neatly organizing his clothes. “He doesn’t know how to work relationships to save his life, however.”

“So what’s his deal?” Kagami asked, feeling a pulsing vein forming on his forehead just by the thought of having to hear Aomine through his wall again. Next time he was taping those plugs to his ears to make sure they didn’t fall out. “He the straight guy with lots of queer friends?”

“He certainly seems to think so.”

Leaning against the working washing machine, Kagami raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“Aomine-kun likes to pretend he is only interested in big-breasted women, and non-serious relationships, when in fact most of us — at least those of us that attended middle school with him — know for sure that he harbors deep feelings for someone that does not exactly fit that description. We also know he is scared of commitment, even if he wants to make one.”

“So… he’s a relationship idiot?”

“Basically.”

Snorting, Kagami continued his question round. “So what about Midorima, Kise, Momoi… the rest of the bunch?”

“Midorima-kun doesn’t discuss his sexuality. I can’t remember the last time I saw him with a date of any gender. Takao-kun is openly gay, Murasakibara-kun doesn’t label himself because he has never felt anything for anyone and no one has asked Akashi-kun. As for Momoi-san and Kise-kun, they are both interested in men as far as I know. I think Momoi-san mentioned she dated a woman once, but that it didn’t seem to interest her for long. I have not asked seeing as it is not my place.” Kuroko glanced up from his laundry, meeting Kagami’s eyes with his expressionless face. “However, Kise-kun has always been very open about his sexuality. In fact, he is the one Aomine-kun is in love with.”

Well shit. Kagami hadn’t seen that one coming. “ _Seriously_?”

Kuroko, now finished organizing his laundry into piles, crouched down to get the first machine going. “Aomine-kun and Kise-kun always had a special relationship when we went to middle school together, and they continued to stick close to each other even when we all attended different high schools. We don’t know the full story, but in our second year Kise confessed to Aomine-kun, but Aomine-kun rejected him. At first Kise-kun seemed to accept it, despite being hurt, but when it became clear Aomine-kun only rejected him for the mere fact that he doesn’t want to admit to his own feelings a feud started between them.” Kuroko straightened up. “Now they bring home sex-partners on a weekly basis, and make sure to flaunt it in each other’s faces. It is very annoying, and kind of tiring.”

“Sounds like some cheap soap opera drama script.”

“We have given up interfering after Takao-kun tried to lock them into the janitor’s closet.”

“How come?”

“Let’s just say Takao-kun’s crotch was sore for an entire week. Kise-kun has quite a kick… he also knows his hair products very well, and can easily switch something on you that you won’t know how to get out, so be careful not to cross him too much. He is more dangerous than what he looks like. Just watch Aomine-kun closely and you will understand.”

“Now that you mention it, that shirt he was wearing yesterday—”

“Yes, Kise-kun messed up his laundry.”

“I had a feeling it wasn’t supposed to be that… glittery.”

Kuroko sighed. “We have decided to leave them to it. Half of us are betting they will die alone, and the other half are betting one of them will confess and finally admit they are meant to be together.”

“Which one are you on?” Kagami asked, this time genuinely curious as he eyed the smaller man.

Despite clearly feeling sympathetic for his friends, a small smile made it to Kuroko’s lips as he said: “I haven’t decided yet.”

———

They often met up with most of the people in the building at Murasakibara’s café, sometimes intentionally and sometimes on pure coincidence. At first Kagami really was only doing the intentional bit for Kuroko’s sake, but after a while he supposed it wasn’t a _bad_ thing to get to know these people, probably for his own safety. The more knowledge he had of them, the better he could avoid situations he absolutely did not want to be in. There, Kuroko also proved to be very helpful. Kagami had stopped questioning why the blue haired man was so willing to help him out. For all he knew Kuroko was just a saint.

From what he’d seen of him, that wasn’t too far off.

So far he knew that Takao and Midorima lived in the apartment next to Kise and Kuroko. Midorima was, apparently, a brilliant surgeon, having graduated from his medical studies at an impressive, early age. Takao and Kuroko were running a daycare together with two other guys Kagami hadn’t seen around much, but who were living on the second floor. He knew the smaller one looked like a cat, and the bigger one didn’t speak.

Kise, as Kagami had learned from the first day meeting him, was a famous model; he also did commercials, and had an excellent singing voice. From what Kuroko — and Kise himself — had told him anyway. Momoi was his manager, and seemingly his biggest fan that _didn’t_ want to bone him, probably because she was one of the few who knew he was gay. Kise seemed so over-the-top enthusiastic and clingy that Kagami hadn’t been able to keep himself from asking Kuroko how he’d somehow agreed to be the model’s roommate.

“Kise-kun is loud, obnoxious and clingy, but he is also very kind, and dedicated. Not to mention he cleans up his mess, unlike what Aomine-kun or Murasakibara-kun would’ve done,” Kuroko said, sipping the vanilla-shake they’d picked up on the way back from the grocery store. “When I fall asleep on the couch he’ll put a blanket over my shoulders, I get free clothes and products. He travels a lot, and has occasional sleepovers with Momoi-san, so in reality he also gives me a lot of space, despite his clingy nature.”

Kagami nodded; that made a lot of sense. He supposed that if Kuroko lived with Aomine he’d be bothered by a lot of sex noises on a weekly basis (well _louder_ sex noises), and Murasakibara was not exactly the most helpful guy around. His pastries were amazing, but Kagami had never met a lazier person.

“So, Kuroko, the last month you’ve told me a lot about the other guys,” Kagami spoke up after they’d walked in relative silence for a while. He sent his companion a glance. “But you haven’t really told me a lot about yourself. I’m pretty sure the only thing I know is that you have an unhealthy obsession with vanilla shakes, attended middle school with the rainbow squad...”

“The rainbow squad?”

“That’s what Tatsuya and I call you guys.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Yeah, well, you’re stuck with it. _Anyway_ , I also know that you do laundry on Saturdays and that you were raised by your granny, but that’s pretty much it.”

Kuroko blinked up at him. “But Kagami-kun haven’t asked about anything else,” he pointed out.

“I didn’t have to ask much about the other guys either. You pretty much told me half of it on your own accord, idiot,” Kagami countered gruffly.

Humming, Kuroko nodded gratefully as Kagami opened the door to the apartment complex. “That’s true, but it was for Kagami-kun’s own safety.”

Hearing that had Kagami snorting. “Well, _gee_ , I feel loved.”

Kuroko simply smiled at him, before he said: “Think of it as a welcome gift, Kagami-kun.”

And, despite the fact that Kagami had a feeling he was going to regret it, he put the lingering thought of perhaps looking for a different place to live on ice. If only because with Kuroko’s help, their new home could potentially be more interesting than horrible.

He also _really_ liked the burger joint two blocks down.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I've been working on this chapter story since this summer, and wrote most of it during November for NaNoWriMo. I have a lot planned, so I'd appreciate any comments and kudos you guys give me to keep me going!
> 
> As said in the tags, this story is very loosely based on the show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. _Very_ loosely. Some parts are recognizable, but 90% of the story will be original content revolving around the basket idiots' lives in the apartment complex. I hope you stay tuned for next time!
> 
> Bunny out!


	2. The One With Himuro's Shirt

“I’m pretty sure our neighbors think I’m an antisocial ass,” was the first thing Himuro said he entered the apartment, causing Kagami to look up from the stove where dinner was in the making. His older brother practically came sagging through the door, looking more than a little drained. Honestly, Kagami had felt a bit worried as of late. When he wasn’t job-hunting Himuro had spent a lot of time over at the café, drinking coffee and just seeming overall miserable. He _claimed_ to at least go through ads in the paper while he was there, but Kagami wasn’t sure if he managed that between munching away on the café’s famous pastries.

Kagami also had his suspicions that his brother wasn’t sleeping very well, if those dark bangs under his eyes were any indication. “They know you’ve been job-hunting,” Kagami answered with a shrug, trying to lighten the mood.

“ _Sure_ , but I wasn’t aware finding one job in this city would be this hard.” Himuro had thrown himself on the couch, and was now sighing dejectedly into a pillow. Tokyo was supposed to give him opportunities, not remind him how much of a foreigner he’d become in his own country after living in America most of his life. Even the fact that he’d done two exchange years throughout school didn’t seem to help much.

“You’ll find something.”

“I know, but it’s been _four weeks_ , Taiga.” Himuro glanced up from the pillow. “I don’t know what I want to do with my life, and the only person I’ve been able to have more than a two minute conversation with in our building is Atsushi and—”

“Woah, woah, hold _on_.” Kagami turned, eyebrows furrowing together. “You and _Murasakibara_ are on first name basis?”

“Well, I suppose. He calls me Muro-chin, and I asked him if I could call him Atsushi, which he told me was fine.”

“ _Muro-chin_?” Kagami's nose wrinkled.

Himuro had to laugh at his brother's expression, and shrugged his shoulders. “He's like a little kid at times. I thought all those childish nicknames were reserved for his friends from middle school, but it looks like they're for everyone. He calls you Kaga-chin when we talk about you.”

“Oh for God's sake. These people are so weird.” Kagami and Himuro's parents had made sure to keep their Japanese culture in check at home — or their _mom_ had — but it still felt strange having so many variations of how people could address him in this country. Kagami-kun, Kagami-san, Kagamin, Kagamicchi, Kaga-chin... and, in some cases, Bakagami, which was just _insulting_ , but apparently Aomine and some of the other guys were sticking with it. The idiots.

Himuro pushed himself off the couch and joined him at the table, putting his chin in the palm of his hand as he studied his brother. “But I heard you've been pretty much toured around the entire area with gossip bonuses from Kuroko-kun, so they can’t all be that bad.”

He watched as Kagami put a casserole of chicken soup on the table, and dragged in the heavenly scent through his nostrils. He always thought Kagami’s talents were wasted as a fireman. Sure, his brother was build for speed and strength, so it wasn't a completely wrong profession to pursue, but he was still convinced Kagami could’ve gone far as a professional chef. Oh well, he supposed he could look at it in a selfish way, and be happy he was one of the few who would be tasting the redhead's marvelous cooking.

“Yeah, well, Kuroko's one of the easier people to get along with in this place I guess. And it’s not really gossip, he’s just making sure I don’t go crazy,” Kagami replied with an indifferent shrug.

Himuro got himself a nice portion of soup and had a big spoonful that he enjoyed for a brief moment, before getting back to his younger brother. He pointed his spoon in Kagami's direction with a slight teasing smile playing at the corner of his lips. “I thought you said Kuroko-kun was, and I quote, 'seriously, such a weird and annoying little shit', end quote.”

Kagami's eyebrow twitched. “Yeah, sure, the first _week_ , and he still sort of is. I've just gotten used to him, is all.”

“Know what I think?”

“Yes, because your mind is _always_ in the gutter.”

“You like him.”

“ _Oi_!”

As the older brother Himuro had always had teasing privileges, but it got even more amusing since Kagami tended to flare up, making his hair and face match. Himuro had used to play around a lot, but Kagami? Himuro couldn’t remember the last time he heard his brother actually had a date with anyone. He had gone out with this female basketball player back in LA for roughly six months, but that was the longest relationship he’d maintained through his life. He knew his brother wasn’t easy to match up, but sometimes Himuro felt he was just generally stingy about the entire relationship thing.

As far as the gossip in this place went, that was one of many things he and the sex-addict next door had in common. Except that Aomine seemed to still enjoy the sexual part of being non-committed. He doubted Taiga had gotten laid for at least two years.

“Changing topics,” Kagami spoke up, having probably downed three portions while Himuro was still working on his first. “I’m meeting Kuroko in the café at six anyway. You could tag along. Some of the other rainbow squad idiots are probably gonna be there too so you can socialize.”

One look at Himuro’s face and Kagami realized he’d said the wrong thing. _God_ , he hated his brother’s smile when he got all _teasy_ , which… wasn’t strictly a word, but it was the best he could come up with right now.

“That’s not changing topics, Taiga; that’s giving me more reasons to insist that you like the kid.”

Kagami’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re giving me so many reasons to lock you out of here.”

“Touchy.”

“You gonna tag along or not?”

Himuro hummed around the spoon in his mouth and pulled it out with a pop. “All right. Might as well show them I’m a peach not a party-pooper.”

Kagami snorted at that, but that only gained him a kick to the chin, and suddenly he was reminded of the fact that his brother had taken martial arts lessons.

———

“But I thought you didn’t _like_ fucking girls?”

Judging by Himuro’s expression — the raise of an eyebrow, the glance he sent Kagami’s way —  _that_ wasn’t exactly the first thing he expected to hear when they made their way over to the crowd gathered around their usual table. It was Takao who was talking, looking at Momoi with a skeptical raise of his eyebrow, while Aomine was glancing lazily at the two of them as if he was tired of a conversation that had yet to happen.

“Well, last night was fun, Taka-chan; it’s not like I haven’t been with a girl _before_.”

“Momoicchi, there is a difference between a girl who’s three years older than you taking you to a club, and then driving you home forty five minutes later because you couldn’t hold your liquor, and _actually_ hooking up with a girl and telling us the sex was great the day after.” Kise had hardly gotten to finish the sentence before Momoi’s foot connected with his and he let out a sound that Kagami thought would’ve come out of a seal-cat hybrid if such a thing existed.

Kagami cleared his throat, figuring this was the right point to interrupt the conversation. If he’d stayed to hear more of it he’d sure he’d just go back, and he should at least _attempt_ to get along with most of these people. Kuroko looked up, greeting him with one of those small smiles that _actually_ made him look friendly instead of simply blank-faced. “Afternoon, Kagami-kun.” His gaze landed on Himuro next. “Himuro-san, good to see you.”

“Thank you. Good to see you too, Kuroko-kun.” Rubbing his neck, Himuro pulled a chair over as Kagami slid down next to Kuroko.

“Well, look who’s here; we heard rumors Kagami had a brother, but we were starting to think he was imaginary.” Cheekily, Takao grinned and tilted his head. Midorima simply sighed next to him.

Himuro was about to answer back, not really taking it to heart. He hadn’t exchanged too many words with Takao, but knew him well enough from Kagami to know he had to joke about _everything_ and never had any cruel intentions. However, he never really got to it before a shadow spread over the table and Himuro leaned his head back to glance up at the newcomer.

“Muro-chin isn’t imaginary.”

“How does he _do_ that; he’s _seven feet tall_ ,” Takao said in disbelief as he gestured towards the purple haired owner of the place who had appeared without anyone noticing. He glanced at Midorima who just glared back at him (as usual.)

“Tetsu’s probably contagious,” Aomine mumbled indifferently, sipping at what had to be a beer because Kagami had never seen him actually touch a beverage that wasn’t either full of alcohol or sugar.

Kuroko and Murasakibara simply blinked at him.

“ _Anyway_ , whatchu doing out of the kitchen, big guy?” Takao asked.

“Saku-chin hurt himself again.”

“What did he do this time? Is he okay, Mukkun?” Momoi glanced worriedly over at the counter where Fukui waved at her. No Sakurai Ryou in sight.

“He hurts himself every day, Satsuki; calm down.” Aomine rolled his eyes and looked up at Murasakibara. “Cut himself didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Totally lost a tray of mugs again?”

“Yes.”

“And why haven’t you fired him yet?”

“Aominecchi!”

“Dai-chan!”

Kagami would be lying if he said it wasn’t amusing to watch two pair of feet strike Aomine’s hips simultaneously. It was even better to watch him yell at them both milliseconds after, which didn’t really seem to affect either Momoi or Kise who still regarded him with annoyance for his previous remark.

“Fuku-chin usually makes up for whatever Saku-chin ruins anyway, and makes him apologize.” Murasakibara shrugged his shoulders. “Not that it takes a lot to make Saku-chin apologize he… kind of does it all the time. It’s annoying.”

Takao snickered into his cup as he took a sip of his coffee. “You think _everything’s_ annoying.”

“What’s your point?” Murasakibara sent Takao a slight look of irritation, before directing his gaze towards Himuro. “Does Muro-chin want coffee?”

“Yes, please. The usual.”

“Mmkay, I’ll get it for you.”

Sluggishly — which was normal in Murasakibara’s case — the purple haired man left the table. Clearly fascinated, Kise turned towards Himuro as soon as his old classmate was out of ear’s reach. They hadn’t spoken much either, when Himuro thought about it. Probably because Kise was a busy bee most of the time and Himuro himself hadn’t done much than sitting around sipping coffee and wondering what he was supposed to do with his life. Now that Kise was all up in his face Himuro really did understand what Kagami had meant when he’d said: “blondie doesn’t know the meaning behind personal-space.”

Still, Kise was friendly unlike Mr. Sex-Addict over in the couch there, and that green haired Midorima fellow who looked like someone was permanently stealing his food before he could eat it… or something akin to that.

“Murasakibaracchi actually gets you your orders himself?”

Kise sounded shocked. Himuro simply blinked at him, and tilted his head. “Yes…?”

“What did you _do_?”

“… Uhm, I think… nothing?” Himuro tried to think about to when they first met, but all he recalled was that he’d been down for yet another rejected job offer, and that he’d ordered some of those amazing muffins. Coincidently, Murasakibara had been tending to the counter that day — something Himuro was pretty sure he didn’t do _too_ often — and since he wasn’t in the mood to go back to the currently empty apartment Himuro had stuck around by the counter. They’d just started chatting about the pastries, Atsushi revealing he was the one who had made their welcome basket and Himuro complimenting him on it. Truly there hadn’t been much else to speak of.

Of course, they had continued to meet up every day after. Himuro loved the pastries, but the coffee was also great, and the place itself ideal to sit down and circle ads in the paper, so they’d just spent a lot of time together in a completely uncomplicated way. He hadn’t questioned why Atsushi seemingly acted a bit more— _awake_ around him, for the lack of a better word.

“Unlikely,” Midorima remarked while he pushed his glasses further up his nose, causing Himuro to glance in his direction. “There is a reason Murasakibara works in the kitchen and occasionally behind the counter. He isn’t good with customers and doesn’t like walking back and forth between tables. Clearly, there is something.”

“I might have given him some American candy that Taiga and I brought with us when we moved here. He mentioned he liked sweets so I figured it was a nice thing to do.”

Himuro simply served them a smile, and it caused Kise to clap his hands over the newcomer's cheeks and study him minutely. “I like you,” Kise declared, before he glanced at the others and said: “Lets keep him. To be honest, he’s actually so pretty I want to cry.”

Kagami snorted into his coffee — trying to ignore the fact that Aomine did the exact same thing, because _god damn it_ they were _not_ alike — and watched fondly as Momoi seated herself next to his brother to start a conversation. That was what Tatsuya needed. Some friends, and, hopefully, the whole work thing would be solved eventually. Preferably before he started eating more muffins than his body could handle.

As if a cue, Murasakibara arrived to give Himuro his vanilla latte, two muffins also balanced on a plate, and Kise started getting really worked up over everything they seemed to have in common. Not that Kagami hadn’t seen this one coming, but it still made his stomach drop with utter dread. He was going to have his Kise over his apartment on a daily basis. He could _tell_.

“Kise-kun seems to approve of Himuro-san rather quickly,” Kuroko noted next to him.

“He’s going to invade our apartment whenever he feels like it, isn’t he?”

“Most likely.”

“I hate this place,” Kagami grumbled.

Kuroko simply hummed, and said softly: “I don’t think you mean that, Kagami-kun.”

———

Kagami knew he wasn’t right about a lot, but this time he was. Unfortunately, he tended to be right about things he wished he wasn’t. Two days later he returned from the grocery store for only to find Kise holding what appeared to be measuring tape against his brother’s, thankfully covered, crotch. Kagami felt his eyebrow twitch. “What the _hell_ are you guys _doing_?” He asked as he put grocery the bags to the counter. Not that he hadn’t expected to have to deal with his brother bringing guys home eventually, but this was far too soon. And it was _Kise_.

“Relax, Taiga. He’s just taking my measurement. What else would be doing?” Himuro raised an eyebrow in the redhead’s direction as he put his hands to his hips.

“And why would he take your measurements?” Kagami countered, ignoring the question, because he knew Tatsuya would get mad if he implied his brother had used to… like to bring guys home. A lot.

“Kagamicchi, I’m right here, you know!” Kise sent a pout Kagami’s way.

“Kise has a theory we’re same-size twins. He’s only an inch taller than me, so we’re trying to figure out if our measurements are the same all way around.” Himuro took a sip of what seemed to be a can of coke as Kise moved the measuring tape further up to his hips.

Kagami would be lying if he said Tatsuya hadn’t given him reasons to sport a look in utter confusion _before_ , but he still never got used to the ridiculous ideas his brother tended to get out of the blue. “And what good will that do exactly?”

“Well for one, it’ll make it easier to go shopping. If it looks good on Kise, it’ll most likely look good on me.”

“You’re incredibly bored aren’t you?”

Himuro sighed. “How did you guess?”

“Himurocchi, you can at least try to pretend what we’re doing holds _some_ purpose!” Kise whined, and swatted his newfound friend on the leg. Himuro sent him a sheepish smile as a silent apology while Kagami simply shook his head. He hoped his brother would find a job soon. Body measurements with a fellow gay friend could be the beginning of various other activities as a result of boredom that he did not wish to witness.

Rolling his eyes, Kagami ignored them and instead grabbed what they had of dirty laundry. He and Tatsuya had agreed to do the laundry an equal amount, but Tatsuya had been taking care of it during the day before he got home from work for quite some time now, and Kagami had to admit it had left him feeling a tad bit guilty. So while Himuro was busy finally bonding with one of their neighbors, he made his way downstairs.

His body ached a little, he noticed, as he started putting white in one pile. He’d been on cleaning duty at the closest fire station straight after a two-hour workout. Of course, part of what he loved with being a firefighter was the physical work, but sometimes he went beyond his limits and it left his muscles sore.

“Hello, Kagami-kun.”

Suddenly hearing Kuroko’s voice so close to him had Kagami squeaking as he almost fell over. _Shit_. They’d known each other for more than a month and he _still_ could not get used to how his across the hall neighbor appeared out of _nowhere_.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Kuroko, did you _have_ to do that?!” Kagami yelled, throwing his hands in the air as he glared at the smaller male.

Kuroko simply blinked at him. He was holding a laundry basket in his hands, the same non-expressive face looking up at him as always. Kagami didn’t know how he’d somehow ended up befriending this guy more than the others, but it was a fact he couldn’t deny any more than he could deny that his hair was red. He and Kuroko had, in some strange way, bonded so he supposed he just had to accept that his newfound comrade was a half-ghost, half-human hybrid.

“I was here when you came in Kagami-kun.”

“ _Jesus_.” Kagami rubbed the back of his neck. Kuroko’s lack of presence was _ridiculous_.

“Not in the flesh, but close.”

“… was that a joke? I didn’t even know you could make those.”

If Kuroko was displeased with his comeback it didn’t show in his face. Instead of replying the blue haired male started unloading his own laundry basket. Kagami snorted, and copied his neighbor’s own actions. It was a comfortable silence, really. Usually, Kagami wasn’t fond of occupying the same space as someone he knew for only to keep quiet, but with Kuroko it was considerably easier to feel comfortable in such a setting.

Doing laundry together had become normal, actually, when Kagami thought it over. He shouldn’t have been surprised Kuroko had been down here, seeing as their laundry schedules always seemed to overlap when Kagami was the one doing it instead of his brother.

Of course they didn’t get to perform their chore in _complete_ comfortable silence. It was the complex’s shared laundry room, so people walked in now and then, greeting them, exchanging casualties before disappearing again. The sign told them not to ‘leave laundry unattended’ but, apparently, there was a mutual agreement for the residents that no stealing of clothing was allowed. It would be far too easy to decipher who had taken what anyway considering they all knew each other.

“Yo Tetsu, and Loser,” Aomine greeted, strolling through the laundry room to pick up the clothing Kise, an hour before, had put in Aomine’s respective basket. That was also some form for mutual agreement Kagami had witnessed since he arrived. They all had respective baskets laying around with their names on them. If a machine was no longer in use, but there were finished clothes in it, you could simply grab the basket of the owner’s clothes and leave them there to be picked up later.

“Go fuck yourself, Ahomine!” Kagami retorted, sending him a scowl, and heard Kuroko sigh by their childish antics.

Smirking, Aomine hoisted the basket of clothes on his shoulder and made is way towards the exit with the intentions of disappearing as fast as he had appeared, but not before saying: “You know, I actually would if I could.”

Kagami’s scowl only deepened as the tanned man left them alone. “I bet he would _marry_ himself if he could.”

A slight smile pulled on Kuroko’s lips. He turned on yet another machine and shrugged. “Aomine-kun hides his insecurities behind a narcissistic mask. You will understand eventually.”

“You keep saying that about all of them, but I still don’t get along with anyone here. Except maybe Kyoshi, Hyuuga and Riko, but Kyoshi’s the definition of a screw loose, and Hyuuga and Riko are just plain scary.” Kagami visibly shuddered, and Kuroko’s smile stretched a bit more.

“You’ll get used to them.”

“Honestly, I think the only one I’m used to around here is you.” Kagami hadn’t realized how sentimental that sounded before the words had actually left his mouth. He quickly spluttered and held his hands up in defense. “Y-you know, because you’re actually not a _complete_ pain in the ass.” Frankly, that excuse sounded half-assed even to him, but he had to stick with it now.

Kuroko regarded him with those deep blue eyes Kagami would never quite be able to think of as anything but _searching_ and… kind of beautiful. He always wondered how they could look scary and endearing all at the same time. Like some forbidden fruit or something equally cheesy. Kagami didn’t know what it was about them other than that they seemed to know too much. He knew Kuroko’s talent was to observe people, but Kagami wasn’t sure if he wanted the younger man to read too much into him. If only for the fact that he wasn’t anything special and was a tad bit afraid he wouldn’t hold Kuroko’s attention long enough to actually stay friends.

And _yeah_ , he supposed he wanted a friend amongst these loons living around him. Kuroko wasn’t the definition of normal, but he was far more bearable than all his fellow rainbow friends combined.

“Well, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko spoke up, once more sporting a small smile that made his face look far better than usual, if Kagami had to be honest with himself. “I don’t think you are a _complete_ pain in the ass either.”

Despite himself Kagami had to smirk.

They mostly worked in silence, even went to get lunch, before returning to unload the machines. Kagami smiled as he silently observed Kuroko finishing his last sip of the vanilla shake bought at Maji Burger and then bowed down to retrieve his finished laundry. He stopped momentarily, face paling as he looked down at the shirt in his hands. Kuroko clicked his lips almost sympathetically. “Kagami-kun, I think you left something red in your whites.”

“ _Really_?” His tone dripped with sarcasm as he glanced at Kuroko. “You think so?”

“Himuro-san is going to kill you. That is his favorite shirt.”

Kagami groaned, his thumbs smoothing out the shirt that had been beautifully white before he messed up. Kuroko was right though — this definitely pissed him off — Tatsuya was going to have a _fit_. Kagami knew he wasn’t the best at this stuff, but he had yet to mess up, so he thought he’d finally gotten it all down. Some higher power was laughing at him right now, he could tell.

Then, something hit him. He turned to Kuroko who hadn’t made a move to dismiss his friend’s misery, but was still looking at him in his own sympathetic way. “Hey… does Kise have one of these?”

Kuroko blinked for a moment, as if he was trying to process what Kagami was asking. He then seemed to be scanning his memory, before nodding. “He does.”

“… would he notice if it went missing?”

“Most likely.”

“Fuck me.”

“I find that rather sudden, Kagami-kun.”

“Oh _shut up_ , Kuroko! I’m trying to find a way to not get myself killed here.”

It wasn’t as if his brother was _violent_ , but as Kagami held up the completely ruined shirt in his hands, regarding it with cortical eyes he knew that this time Tatsuya would inflict unbearable pain on him. Now, Kagami didn’t know _why_ this shirt was so important to Tatsuya, but he recognized it as something he would wear on the days he was in a particularly good mood.

Shit. _Shit_.

“Kagami-kun, I think I may be able to help you.”

“Can you turn back time?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t see how you can help me out.”

Kuroko placed his laundry basket on top of the still working machine, and then silently motioned for Kagami to come with him. The redhead raised an eyebrow, but figured he didn’t have much to lose. If Kuroko had an idea then there was a slight chance Tatsuya _wouldn’t_ lock him out of their apartment after bruising him up, and that would definitely work in Kagami’s favor.

As expected Kise wasn’t around when Kuroko pulled him into their apartment. The blond was probably still hanging out with his brother. Kagami glanced around, whistling slightly. It was so _clean_ in here. Seriously, he hadn’t been aware Kuroko was such a neat freak. Said blue haired man seemed to have noticed his staring and said simply: “It doesn’t look like this normally, Kagami-kun. Kise-kun and I cleaned yesterday.”

 _Oh_. So _not_ a neat freak.

Still, probably better than Aomine and Murasakibara’s place.

Kuroko disappeared into his room without a word. Kagami, not really knowing whether he should follow or not, stood still, curiously glancing around the apartment. The walls in here were white instead of a faint blue color in his and Tatsuya’s place, and the furniture could’ve been taken straight out of a brochure. It would’ve been stone cold if not for the various photographs on the walls.

One in particular caught his attention.

“No way,” he said just as Kuroko made his way through the door. Kagami held the photograph closer to take a better look, a smirk spreading across his lips. “These guys really haven’t changed a _bit_ have they? Except you. You looked like a baby, and your _hair_. Wow.”

“Kagami-kun it’s not nice to touch other people’s belongings. You’re being rude.” If he hadn’t known any better he’d say Kuroko sounded _irritated_. It was refreshing to get that reaction out of him for a change.

It was a group photo from their middle school days. Kise and Aomine had their arms thrown around Kuroko who was in the middle, Murasakibara and Midorima standing behind them, Momoi with her arms around Aomine’s waist and Akashi standing firm and proud next to Kise again. They had uniforms on, and judging by the fact that he recalled that they did not go to the same high school together he presumed it was taken when they graduated from Teiko.

“Or maybe you have changed,” Kagami hummed, head tilting to the side. “You got a lot bigger. Well, most of you got bigger. You— hey _ouch_!”

Kuroko removed his elbow from where he’d jabbed it into Kagami’s side. Once he had the redhead’s attention again he held up a white shirt. The exact same type Kagami had fished up from the washing machine in a pink colored state. Kagami blinked when he saw it, forgetting about his original plans to jab Kuroko straight back. “Is that Kise’s?”

“No. Kise-kun tends to get more than one sample of the free clothing provided by his agency. I cannot recall when he gave me this, but I have never worn it. I only accepted it so that Kise-kun would not complain the entire weekend about my ungratefulness.”

“K-Kuroko I can’t take _yours_ … that’s—”

“Kagami-kun, I have never worn this. Kise-kun tends to forget he is bigger than me in all areas and gives me over-sized clothing I cannot use other than when I walk around in my own apartment.” Kuroko forced the clothing — that Kagami noticed still had its prize tag; he tried not to gape at it — into the redhead's hands and continued by saying: “Remove the tag. Run it through the wash again, and give it to Himuro-san. He will, hopefully, not notice any differences.”

There was a moment of silence where Kagami struggled with what to _say_. Kuroko had just saved his ass big time. He felt touched. He cleared his throat, feeling a slight hue of pink dust across his cheeks. “ _Thank you_.”

Kuroko smiled. It was small as always, but pleasant to look at. “You’re welcome. Now go, and as a favor, please bring my finished laundry up.”

“Will do!”

Kagami made his way out the door, but not before glancing back at Kuroko over his shoulder. The peculiar little shit had disappeared on him. Hopefully _within_ his own apartment. Kagami’s hold around the new shirt tightened a little bit. Man, that guy was really starting to grow on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the positive feedback! Comments and kudos makes me motivated! It's going to be a bit slow built in the beginning, but please bear with me. These idiots need some time, while some of them don't. You'll see what I'm talking about eventually!


	3. The One With Himuro's Ex-Boyfriend

Himuro didn’t consider himself _miserable_. He had a brother with a steady income so they were doing okay thus far, they had _friends_ — or as Taiga called them: unfortunate acquaintances we have to deal with to not get thrown out by their holier-than-thou middle school buddy that owns the place — and he had _looks_ , which wasn’t a bad bonus. Sure, his parents were non-supportive and the reason they had decided to move in the first place, and he had yet to find a job that could help them with the living expenses (he also couldn’t remember the last time he got laid), but, no, he wasn’t _miserable_.

Just very, very close to that.

Sighing in what could probably be described as an exaggerated manner, Himuro twirled his finger through his long bangs, tapping the red marker against yet another newspaper. A shadow fell over the various ads seconds after, causing Himuro to glance up. “Atsushi,” he greeted with a smile.

It was rather quiet today, thankfully. On the rare occasions the café had few guests he actually had room to talk to his newfound friend.

“Do you want more coffee, Muro-chin? Or cake?”

“I think I’ve already put on a ten pounds since I got here,” Himuro said with yet another long-drawn sigh. He tilted his head and again sent Atsushi one of his soft smiles. “You can’t continue to feed me like this, Atsushi. My metabolism is not as good as yours.”

Murasakibara merely blinked at him, as if the mere notion of weight gain and too much sugar was a foreign concept he was not familiar with. Himuro found it both fascinating and unfair how someone could stuff their face without gaining an ounce of weight on their body. Despite the fact that he had hardly seen Atsushi without any form for either sugary or salty snack nearby — except perhaps when he was actually eating proper meals — he was a rather strongly built being. It was as if his body was naturally muscular despite how he awkwardly moved due to his size.

Himuro would be lying if he said he wasn’t drawn to Atsushi, had been since they first met. Granted, Murasakibara was not, directly, a _looker_. He was not model-material with his usually bored face, flat, long hair and immature behavior. However, Himuro had always been interested in men more powerful, for a lack of a better word, than him. It wasn’t like he would be buying a whip and a collar for the bedroom in the nearest future — or had ever been in that sort of relationship — but a little size difference kink had never been considered abnormal, now had it?

And Murasakibara was, undoubtedly, the tallest— _biggest_ person Himuro had ever been close to, which said a lot considering he had spent more than half his life on a basketball court. So, yes, he was drawn to him. And perhaps he found some of his antics adorable to the point where he wanted to hug his head close to his chest and actually coo at him, but his last relationship had not ended _that_ long ago, not to mention Himuro wasn’t even sure if Murasakibara was interested in people romantically or sexually at all. Something he would respect, of course, but it would leave him incredibly disappointed, that much he had to admit.

Himuro opened his mouth, but hesitated. He wasn’t really sure if he should serve Atsushi hints of his obvious attraction towards him or not. Would that be unfair? They had only known each other for roughly two months (which again reminded him that the fact that he _still_ hadn’t found a job was simply unbelievable) and he didn’t want to throw his affections for their growing friendship out the window with unnecessary attraction when he could let the seed grow further.

It turned out fate seemed to agree with that logic seeing as he never got around to say anything, before suddenly he felt a couple of hands on his shoulders, instantly startling him. “Himurocchi!”

“ _Kise_ , you scared the crap out of me!” Himuro groaned, and swatted his blond friend’s hands away.

“Sorry, sorry! You’re the only one here? The guys usually hang around this place at this hour. Aominecchi should be back from the station soon.” Kise glanced up and grinned. “Murasakibaracchi! What’s up?”

“Muro-chin thinks he’s gaining weight.”

Himuro’s cheeks instantly flared up. “ _Atsushi_ , that was a _joke_!”

Kise blinked, before simply snickering at them, shaking his head. “Himurocchi, don’t be stupid. You’re the still the same size as me, and I know _I_ haven’t gained weight. Momoicchi confiscated all snacks in mine and Kurokocchi’s apartment.” Kise slumped down next to Himuro and sighed longingly. “I miss the taste of chocolate.”

If Atsushi had ever sported a look of sympathy it was then. Himuro almost laughed. Trust the purple giant to hold empathy towards those who could not enjoy the snacks he practically worshipped. “Gimme a minute, Kise-chin,” he said, before disappearing behind the counter.

Himuro moved his head back against the couch and tilted it so he was looking at Kise skeptically. “That was a dirty move.”

The blond model laughed, long eyelashes blinking in fake innocence. They were incredibly long, Himuro noted. No wonder Kise attracted all sorts of people. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Himurocchi!”

Simply shaking his head, Himuro flicked his friend on the forehead, just as the door to the coffee shop opened, revealing the rest of their colorful, dysfunctional bunch. The fact that Kagami and Aomine were arguing with Kuroko walking between them, looking as if he was seconds from jabbing them both in the stomach, was nothing new.

“I’m _not_ that loud, you’re just overly sensitive, Bakagami,” Aomine scoffed bored, one finger in his ear twisting around as Kagami was all up in his face. Due to his spiky hair Himuro always thought his brother resembled a bristling tiger when he was angry.

“Are you _kidding_ me? You’re the definition of loud, fucking annoying bastard. Is it that hard for you to tone it down?! I’ve started enjoying sleeping at the station more than at home because of you!”

“Then why don’t you _stay_ there and do all of us a favor, hm?”

The words had barely left Aomine’s mouth before Kuroko’s elbow had made contact with his ribs. Aomine downright wheezed and Himuro watched, admittedly in slight amusement, as the dark skinned male curled up and sneered at his childhood friend for his betrayal. “Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun, this is a public place. Please be quiet.”

Himuro admired the way Kuroko seemingly always knew how to calm down his brother and Aomine who was equally loud, but by far more obnoxious. Himuro loved his brother — of course he did; Taiga was all the family he had left that he’d entrust his life to — but he could tell Kagami’s actions tended to lack rationality.

Kuroko-kun was a good match for him. Too bad Taiga was not really good with feelings, and if he were to develop something with Kuroko he truly doubted his brother would admit it to himself for a long time. Of course, he could give him a push in the right direction, but Taiga was also incredibly stubborn, so he wasn’t sure how much good that would do.

Takao slumped down next to Kise, Midorima, Aomine, and Kagami following shortly after to create the usual circle they tended to form in Atsushi’s shop. “Where’s big purple?” Takao asked, craning his neck back in the couch to glance sideways over at the counter that Sakurai was tending to.

“Getting the sneaky fox over here some snacks.” Himuro playfully nudged Kise who shrugged sheepishly in return.

“I thought Momoi-san handed you a new diet sheet and told you not to consume too much sugar.”

“We don’t talk about that, Kurokocchi.”

“I don’t get it,” Takao spoke up, raising an eyebrow in Kise’s direction. “I thought male models were supposed to be, you know, buff. Wouldn’t that mean you’d have to bulk up?”

“My future assignments have more of a… _leaner_ aesthetic.” Kise twirled his finger around his blond hair, seemingly trying to determine whether he should get a haircut or not. It was longer than when Himuro had first met him.

“What does that even mean?” Aomine asked with a raised eyebrow. He was still grumpy after his fight with Kagami.

“It _means_ that my next shoots include more of a bisexual sex appeal. You know, _submissive_ behavior that attracts more than just my female fanbase. It’s supposed to be subtle, but I’ve seen the poses Momoicchi got from the agency, and they’re… not.”

Kise shrugged. To anyone who didn’t work within the modeling business they wouldn’t know much of a difference between the angles that made him appear more submissive rather than dominant, but he still could see why some of his poses could appeal to males who preferred their other male partners to be more… _compliant_. Kise never minded. Begrudgingly enough, he tended to like his more submissive posing photos better than the dominant ones, if only because he showed off more skin and he simply suited being presented as a delicious dish rather than being the one challenging the viewer to let them submit to him.

“I’ve never seen any of your pictures, Kise.” Himuro knew straight away he was going regret saying that when his blond friend started enthusiastically fishing up magazines from his bag with that _gleam_ in his eyes that promised he was about to get more than a couple of Kise’s photos shoved into his face.

“Kise, leave him alone,” Midorima said, irritation laced in his voice when Kise reached his tenth magazine. Himuro thought Midorima maybe wasn’t so bad after all.

Murasakibara came through the door to the kitchen. He must have guessed the others were on their way considering their usual orders were balanced on a tray and newly baked goods were placed on the other. The purple giant was unusually energetic today. Himuro served him a friendly smile as he was handed his fourth cup of coffee for the day. He really shouldn’t, but fuck it. He would probably tag along with Taiga to the gym later either way.

“No luck job hunting, Himuro-san?” Kuroko asked as he casually sipped his coffee.

“No.” Himuro sighed, body slumping against the soft cushions as he cradled the hot beverage close. His fingers had been rather cold so this felt pleasant. “I am so sick of hearing ‘you’ll hear from us’ because everyone knows you never do. I mean come on, how hard can it be?”

“Very. The area around here is packed. You’ve seen the homeless people on the street.” Takao shrugged nonchalantly, before a mischievous smirk spread over his lips. “But, hey, there are always options. I heard the gay-bar downtown is hiring.”

Himuro raised a skeptical eyebrow. “As a bartender or a stripper?”

“What do you _think_?”

“Takao, how are you even allowed near kids,” Kagami said, nose wrinkling, and eyebrows furrowing to further emphasize his irritation with their neighbor’s previous proposal. Like hell he was going to let Tatsuya put on a pair of skin-tight panties, shaking his ass for drooling sexual predators. Just the mental image made him cringe.

Murasakibara seemed equally against the idea, definitely dropping the big sponge cake he’d brought — probably for himself more than the others who had been served cookies — into Takao’s lap on purpose. Himuro put his hand in front of his mouth for not to laugh too loudly at Takao’s clear misfortune.

“ _Heyyy!_ It was just a suggestion!” Takao whined, grabbing for a napkin and sending Murasakibara a deadly glare.

“Himurocchi isn’t going to be a stripper. You’ll find something, I know you will!” Kise nudged his shoulder with an encouraging smile. It helped a little, but Himuro knew he could never be as positive as Kise Ryouta. He was losing patience, and starting to feel shame for being unemployed. He really hated it.

Rubbing his temple, Himuro was about to change the subject when a voice he instantly recognized interrupted their casual conversation. “Tatsu? That you? I knew I’d recognize that cute tooshie anywhere!” Instantly, Himuro whipped his head to the side, eyes going wide as they landed on a dark haired, muscular male with a gradually fading LA tan. It felt as if his stomach had dropped down into his butt.

Kagami choked on his coffee, also turning his head in the newcomer’s direction with a speed that miraculously enough did not give him a whiplash. “ _Ken_?! What are you doing here?” Himuro asked in disbelief.

“Probably dumped Barbie and _her_ cute tooshie,” Takao murmured, and grimaced when Midorima gave him a prompt slap to the back of his head.

Himuro hesitantly stood, eyes wide. Just for a brief moment he wondered if he’d stepped back into High School, and then he got an image of blowjobs in the basketball locker rooms he realized that no, no he was very much over _that_ , and just thinking about it was making him cringe a little. Sure, at the time, it had been enjoyable, but that didn’t mean he didn’t regret some of the rather impulsive decisions of his youth.

“Taiga! You’re here too! Wow, you look… bigger. How tall _are_ you now? Holy shit!”

It was just strange hearing one of his ex-boyfriends speak Japanese. He was biracial, mother Japanese, father like Kansas American, but he’d never had a gift for language, so his accent was the worst one Himuro had heard yet, but that wasn’t why the sight of him made him uncomfortable. There were numerous other reasons that were far worse than the fact that Ken’s language skills were only so-so.

“ _Ken_ ,” Himuro said sharply before Kagami could even open his mouth, and repeated: “What are you doing here?”

A smirk spread over Ken’s lips as he removed the sunglasses from his dark hair, playing with them for a brief moment before he said: “Well, _actually_ , I wanted to talk to you. I’m staying in Tokyo for a couple of weeks!”

Silently, Himuro wondered if there was a higher power out there that hated his guts.

———

Murasakibara had never understood the concept of romance or relationships or even really had much of a sexual urge at all (he’d jacked off a couple of times, but it was more out of curiosity and getting to know his own body than it was a _need_ ), yet he knew one thing for sure. He _liked_ Muro-chin. Muro-chin was gentle, patient, and overall the least annoying person he knew, which said a lot. He made Murasakibara feel things he could honestly say he had not felt before.

It was frustrating to a man who had never once in his life really felt connected to anyone to suddenly get an overwhelming surge of emotions he couldn’t even begin to understand. Muro-chin made him do things he usually would find incredibly annoying, Muro-chin, somehow, made his day better by just walking through the door, and Muro-chin also, without fail, almost made him feel less— well, lonely. And he hadn’t even been aware he’d been lonely before now.

He’d had his friends; he’d had a job he enjoyed and more than enough money to help out his never-ending urge for sweets. If anything, his account was steadily growing after the success of his shop.

But now there was an obstacle, and his name was _Ken_. Murasakibara wasn’t as much of an idiot as people assumed at first glance. He knew instantly that whoever this was made Muro-chin feel uncomfortable. They undoubtedly had history, and somehow this was pissing him off. _Dangerously_ pissing him off.

Thankfully, after the brief, and awkward meeting yesterday the American hadn’t showed up to bother Muro-chin again. It was Murasakibara’s day off — something he rarely got these days with the busy hours at the café — and Himuro had invited him to go shopping, so thankfully they were left undisturbed. Now, _normally_ , Murasakibara liked shopping as much as he liked to eat vegetables, which spoke volumes of how little pleasure he found in waltzing around looking for stuff (he hardly had to buy his own clothes since Kise insisted on getting them _for_ him). However, being with Muro-chin somehow mattered more than his boredom.

It was strange, but not unwelcome. Also, for each bag he carried for Himuro he was given a treat, so he definitely didn’t come from this empty handed. Muro-chin liked to shop. A _lot_. He almost had as many bags as Kise-chin tended to bring home after a day in Tokyo’s shopping district.

Overall, their day together had been great, leaving Murasakibara feeling sated, and comfortable, but, of course, it was not to be.

They met Takao, Kuroko, and Midorima in the hallway. Takao flashed them a grin and nudged his head towards the door to Himuro and Kagami’s apartment. “Hey, Barbie! Ken’s here to see ya!”

Himuro sent Takao the least impressed face Murasakibara had ever seen in his life. Not that he felt particularly pleased himself with these news. Himuro sighed and rubbed his temple, glaring at the door as if that would magically solve his problem.

“Himuro-san, I do not mean to pry, but you don’t seem very pleased seeing Ken-san again,” Kuroko spoke carefully, tilting his head to look at their senior. Himuro’s lips pursed, which was confirmation enough that Kuroko wasn’t _completely_ off track.

Before Himuro could answer Kise suddenly stuck his head out in the hallway, gaining all the attention of the people in the hallway. “He’s your ex isn’t he?”

“Were you _eavesdropping_?” Himuro asked disbelieved.

“I wasn’t aware it was a private conversation. I mean, you guys are standing in the middle of the hallway. You could’ve found a different place if you didn’t want people to listen in.” Kise stepped outside to join them with a grin on his face, closing the door behind his back, before throwing an arm around Himuro’s shoulder. “Now, are you going to tell us who he is? What’s his deal? Where’s he from? Is he bothering you, Himurocchi? I can kick his ass, you know.”

“I called dibs on that, Kise-chin.”

Himuro glanced up at Murasakibara, clearly confused. “You did? When?”

“In my head.”

“That doesn’t really count, big buy,” Takao said with a snort of a laughter.

“No one is kicking anyone’s ass, okay?” Himuro said, putting his hands up in a calming manner. He then sighed. “He’s just an ex from High School, and we didn’t end it on good terms so I have no idea why he’s even here. He’s an object of annoyance, but I can take care of it myself. No reason for you guys to get involved, so just _don’t_ , okay?”

Murasakibara didn’t exactly want to agree to that. He very much liked the thought of throwing Ken the American out the window of Himuro and Kagami’s apartment. It was short enough that he could possibly survive and would have to live his life as a crippled man, forever regretting the fact that he hurt Muro-chin’s feelings. Due to Himuro’s stern look, however, he didn’t have much of a choice than to act non-hostile.

This proved itself to be particularly hard as he and the others followed Himuro into his apartment. The older man had offered them coffee, probably not wanting to be alone with his ex-boyfriend and his brother in the same space for too long.

Ken light up like candle as his eyes landed on Himuro. Before Murasakibara could really register what had happened Ken had pulled his newfound friend into his arms in a tight squeeze. It looks could kill Murasakibara knew Ken the American would no longer be hugging Muro-chin like that, but would be writhing on the floor begging for mercy. The window was right over there. All he had to do was lift him up and throw him, really.

“Tatsu! I just had to see your new place! Taiga’s been really nice showing me around.”

“Is that so,” Himuro said as he exchanged glances with his brother from behind Ken’s shoulder. Kagami shook his head silently, putting his index finger to his temple to form a fake gun, for so to fire it off. Takao, apparently, found this really funny and snickered into his hand, for so to whine when Kuroko jabbed him in the stomach. Clearing his throat, Himuro pushed Ken lightly off himself and faked a smile Murasakibara was quite impressed with. “Listen, Ken, uh how long did you say you were planning on staying in Tokyo?”

“As I said, just a couple of weeks while I finish up some work.” Ken shrugged, running his hands through his dark hair, flashing off yet another brilliant smile.

“Man, his teeth are so _white_ ,” Takao murmured, gaining an nod from Kise who was studying the newcomer just as intently.

“I think it’s the tan,” Kuroko responded silently.

“Of course it’s the tan, fools,” Midorima sighed, like he usually did when he felt people far less intelligent than himself surrounded him.

Murasakibara still thought Ken was standing far too close to Muro-chin, so without really saying anything he pulled on Muro-chin’s shirt, so the smaller man was moved back closer to _him_ and away from the Ganguro over there. He ignored Himuro’s questioning glance, and instead settled for glaring at the American.

“Actually, I was hoping you and me could have dinner, Tatsu. You know, catch up and stuff. I haven’t seen you much since High School. I went to the California State, like you said you were planning to, but never saw you there.”

“Yeah, I— uh, didn’t go to college.”

“ _You_ didn’t go to college?” Ken blinked in disbelief. Atsushi pursed his lips. Idiot. He really didn’t want him to have a dinner with Muro-chin. “You were the smartest one out of all of us!”

Atsushi had known Himuro for some time now and knew the look that settled over his neighbor’s face. It was a look that really expressed how much uncomfortable the subject they were venturing into made him, so to help out Murasakibara said: “Where are you staying?” though his tone probably expressed how little interest he had in the coming answer.

Had he glanced back at his friends he would’ve seen the sheer shock on their faces for the fact that Murasakibara Atsushi was actually trying to help a friend out of a sticky situation. The closest thing he’d ever come to doing something like this was— actually, Kuroko, Kise and Midorima couldn’t recall him ever doing something like this. Ever.

“A hotel close by,” Ken answered dismissively, before focusing on Himuro again. “So dinner?”

“I—uh…”

“ _Please_ , Tatsu! For old time’s sake, yeah?”

Murasakibara’s glare intensified.

Himuro heaved a sigh, before once more serving his old high school classmate an unsure smile. “Oh okay.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up at eight, sound good?”

Himuro barely got to nod before Ken once more swooped in to give him a tight hug that Murasakibara thought lasted a bit too long, for so to excuse himself due to some work related business coming up. Kagami followed him to the door, and when he was finally gone promptly slammed it, a vein of annoyance pulsing at his forehead. He turned towards his brother and pinched the bridge of his nose. “ _Why_ would you say yes to that, Tatsuya? Just _why_?”

“What was I supposed to do, Taiga? He pulled the High School card!” Himuro said defensively as he threw the door the fridge open, pulling out a bottle of soda. Without saying much he handed Murasakibara a candy bar from said fridge. The unspoken, natural action of doing so had the purple haired man feeling even worse about the fact that Muro-chin had agreed to a dinner with an obnoxious ex.

“What’s _the High School card_?” Kise asked curiously as he too sat down by the table, placing his chin in the palm of his hand.

“You know, the unspoken rule that if a High School classmate wants to catch up you’re being an ass if you don’t accept it.” Himuro shrugged, taking a sip of his soda can. Kise didn’t seem like he’d been aware there was such a social rule.

“That’s bullshit. You guys broke up! He shouldn’t be bothering you _now_. Least of all be so clingy!” Kagami had always been very protective of the people he loved, and Himuro was well aware that Taiga believed in him to take care of himself, but it didn’t stop him from getting pissed when Himuro bowed under to what was socially expected of him. Especially considering that Kagami didn’t believe in all that nonsense himself.

“I fail to see how a dinner is going to be much of a problem,” Midorima spoke up, seemingly bored with the topic that was Ken the American already. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and said: “Though I also fail to see why you would bother if you have absolutely no interest in whatever he has to say.”

Himuro fell silent for a moment, and Murasakibara frowned at his old classmate. Mido-chin could be too direct sometimes. Although that had never bothered Atsushi in particular, he knew it wasn’t always the same for anyone else. Himuro did not seem faced though, but instead shrugged and said: “Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind finding out if he’s changed.”

“Ken? Changed? Dude was an ass in high school; he’s an ass now. Old habits die hard, Tatsuya.”

“You’re just pessimistic, Taiga. You never liked any of my exes.”

“Break my trust once, you don’t get it back.”

Murasakibara could sense an irritated twitch of Muro-chin’s eyebrow, but Himuro didn’t say anything more. He simply glanced at Kise and said: “I need new pants.” Murasakibara felt his own eyebrow twitch at this. Was Muro-chin intending to look _nice_ for that guy? Why? If he’d hurt Muro-chin it made no sense why he would want to go through such trouble for him.

Kise nudged his head towards the door with a smile. “Then c’mon over, Himurocchi.”

Atsushi felt himself frowning deeply, lips turning down. He wasn’t aware he’d been glaring at the door before Takao jabbed his elbow to his side, playfully nudging him with the grin that usually had Murasakibara feeling like punching him. “Hey, big guy, keep that up and you’re going to burn a hole through the door.”

“That’s not possible, Taka-chin, and don’t touch me.”

Takao whistled. “Touchy. Not happy about Barbie inviting Ken out to go party?”

“I swear to God, Takao.” Midorima’s eyes glowered.

“Seriously, when are you guys leaving?” Kagami groaned as he impatiently crossed his arms over his chest. He swore Kuroko looked strangely amused by Takao’s joking, which was just a disturbing thought.

Murasakibara slammed the door shut on the way out.

———

Himuro remembered High School as a hellhole where discovering his sexual urges had been frustrating, fascinating, but overall a source of anxiety and depression. Taiga had been busy with basketball back then and paid limited attention to him, thankfully, due to his busy schedule, but his brother still knew it had not been a happy time for him. Ken was his second boyfriend, though now that he was older Himuro did not consider people who texted and met up to touch each other _boyfriends_.

Boyfriends bought you dinner, boyfriends brought your homework when you were sick, boyfriends held your hand in public, boyfriends snuck out to see you in your room at 3 AM when you were having a bad day, boyfriends wanted to go with you to the cinema (not lie and say they were going to a funeral in San Diego, when really they were meeting up with Patrick Ernst, college first year, to fuck all weekend) and boyfriends, most importantly, were not afraid to call themselves your boyfriend.

Overall, the memory of Ken was not a fond one, so Himuro really had to ask himself why he had bothered to even show. Ken was polite enough. He pulled out his chair for him, asked him what he wanted, offered to pay for everything (Himuro strongly protested, but in the end that fell to deaf ears), and despite the fact that he was still a bragger, he seemed to have at least grown up a _little_.

A little.

Not enough.

Himuro pursed his lips, circling the wine in his hand a little, before putting it to his lips, but inelegantly found himself choking when Ken said: “So, here’s the thing, I was wondering if maybe you would consider to come work for _me_?”

Himuro quickly moved the napkin to his mouth, blinking in pure confusion. “As _what_?” He coughed, wine still stuck in the wrong pipe. He took a deep breath into the napkin, shaking his head. “Ken, I didn’t go to college. I have no degree whatsoever to speak of.” This was partially why he had a problem finding a job. Even if he had gone to college in the US, Japan hardly considered the exams taken qualified, hence why he’d have to enroll in University in Japan to get a degree. Taiga was one of few exceptions. For Himuro, there was no career path, just a simply, retail job he could get without needing a college degree and he had accepted that.

“It’s an assistant job.” Ken smiled cheekily. Himuro felt something stir uncomfortably in his stomach.

“You said you didn’t live here.”

“I don’t. You’d have to come with me back to America, of course.”

The way he spoke as if he had already accepted his offer made Himuro’s eyes narrow. Ken really hadn’t changed as much as he’d hoped he would. He still expected him to wait on him hand and foot. Still expected to receive, but never to give. It was becoming considerably harder to keep up the fake smiling.

“Ken, I live her with my _brother_. I’m not going to bail on Taiga for _one_ job offer. What makes you think I would?”

“I just thought…”

Himuro continued to shake his head. Besides, he _liked it here_. Sure, he was still struggling with finding a job, but he would eventually, and he didn’t mind that he wouldn’t have a successful career. He just wanted an income so he could hang with his friends, not live off his little brother and start to pay for the coffee Atsushi always served him. It would be a nice start at least.

One thing was for sure, no matter how much he complained about the job situation he wouldn’t trade in the new place for anything in the world. This was a good place. A new beginning and he couldn’t leave that now.

“Oh come on, Tatsu. You’re twenty six years old and live with your brother!”

Ken’s tone was downright condescending. Himuro put his glass of wine down, eyes narrowing even further.  He then calmly stood up, serving his old classmate the poker face he was infamous for. “Gee, Ken, I’m so sorry I didn’t turn out to be that picture perfect boytoy you wanted from High School, but I’m in a good place now. I’ll find a job, and I don’t need charity so you have an excuse to see me running and back forth in the halls bringing you coffee.”

Grabbing his coat, Himuro marched out the door. How downright stupid of him to actually think he could have a pleasant evening with him. He was going to admit that Ken still made something stir within him, but it definitely was for nostalgic reasons, not for anything else. Unfortunately, he also remembered his old classmate as being irrationally stubborn.

He had almost reached Atsushi’s shop when he felt a hand on his shoulder, forcefully turning him around, and pinning him to the nearby wall. Himuro snarled. “ _Let go_.”

“I don’t think so. We weren’t finished _talking_.” Ken’s face was twisted in irritation, running the perfect rich boy image he’d possessed ever since he showed up. Fuck, Himuro wanted to punch that face _so bad_ , but Ken was keeping his arms pressed against the wall in a tight as hell grip.

“Like hell we were, let _go_!”

He heard a click, and felt Ken’s hold loosen instantly, his eyes going comically wide. Hands slowly released his wrist for so to rise over his head. Himuro looked over Ken’s shoulder, and blinked.

“Thaaaat’s a good boy. You know I could take you to the station for public harassment, but Murasakibara promised me dohnuts and I’m a stereotypical cop on Mondays, Thursday and Fridays, so that would totally ruin my schedule.” Aomine smirked, and made Ken turn around with a swift wave of his gun. Himuro wasn’t particularly fond of his sex-driven neighbor but right there and then he almost wanted to give Aomine a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He would lose his new best friend in the process though so he refrained for his and Kise’s relationship’s sake. “Now, get your ass moving. I should arrest you for that spray tan alone.”

“You’re one to talk,” Himuro murmured automatically.

“Oi, doing you a favor over here!” Aomine glared.

“O-okay, chill! I’ll go! I’ll go!” Ken yelled.

Himuro held up his hand. “Just one more thing.”

———

“Aominecchi’s going to be pissed when he finds out you ate his dohnuts, Murasakibaracchi.” Kise said as he watched his purple haired friend put the pink box away so he could perform a last check around Purple Muffin before closing time. He had already finished half of the sugary treats he had promised his roommate.

Kuroko, Kagami and Takao were still in the couches, not really seeing the need to move before Murasakibara actually forced them out. Truthfully, Kagami was more concerned over the fact that Himuro still hadn’t texted him. He’d promised he would just so he was sure he was doing okay with that unreliable ex of his.

“Don’t care. Mine-chin was late. You snooze you lose.”

“Six minutes is not considered late, Murasakibara-kun,” Kuroko pointed out.

The purple haired giant didn’t answer, but took an angry bite of a chocolate covered dohnut as he absently swiped the floor, murmuring something about crushing them if they continued talking. Kagami snorted, and stretched just as his brother came through the door with Aomine, who actually looked like Christmas had come early or something. Kagami wasn’t sure he wanted to know what had amused his annoying neighbor this much, nor why he was with his brother.

 “Himurocchi! How was your date?” Kise asked, his excitement settling into a frown when his eyes landed on Aomine. “And why are you with Aominecchi?”

“He scared Ken with a gun.”

“Hah?” Kise blinked confused as Takao and Kuroko exchanged glances.

Murasakibara moved over, his eyebrows furrowing together displeased. “What happened, Muro-chin?”

“Oi, Murasakibara! You ate my dohnuts, you bastard!”

“I made them, so they’re technically mine.” Murasakibara snorted annoyed, before turning his attention back to his object of affection. Himuro seemed happier somehow, and strangely pleased, as if he had just done something he’d craved for a long, long time. “Muro-chin, are you okay?”

“Oh I’m fine.” Himuro shrugged, removing his coat. The coffee shop was warm and smelled pleasant and familiar. “Ken’s a jackass.”

“I _told_ you that. Fucking bastard will never change, and _of course_ you didn’t listen to me,” Kagami scoffed from the couch, sending his brother an annoyed glance that was also laced with slight concern. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Of course, Kagami didn’t think his brother was incapable of handling _Ken_. The guy was muscular, but highly uncoordinated and Himuro was sneaky, and could easily outdo someone who was stronger. Kagami had learned that the hard way. His brother was a real pain to deal with sometimes with his graceful, sneaky moves.

He heard Aomine snort. The tanned male had kidnapped what was left of Murasakibara’s glorious dohnuts and was sitting on the counter with the box in his lap. He pointed a finger in Himuro’s direction and said: “If anything you bro over there hurt _him_.”

Himuro tried not to show that he was smirking, but he wasn’t doing a very good job. Murasakibara was pleased to see that Muro-chin wouldn’t be bothering with that guy anymore, but there was definitely something worrying about that evil aura he was currently emitting. And at the same time, it was strangely endearing to watch.

Takao blinked, somehow drawn to that aura like a moth to a flame. Unsurprising considering Takao was definitely devil spawn. “What did you _do_?”

“I may or may not have made sure he won’t be able to breed.”

“You cut off his dick?” Kise said in disbelief.

Himuro wrinkled his nose. “Ew, no. I kicked him. _Hard_.”

Kagami visibly winced. “Gees, Tatsuya. He must’ve majorly pissed you off.”

“Good for you, Himuro-chan. I always preferred Barbie without Ken anyway, now you can move into the dream house all by yourself!” Multiple groans sounded in the room, and Takao pouted. “You guys have no sense of humor!”

“It got old at least five jokes ago, Takaocchi!”

“I think Takao-kun is rather humorous.”

“You’re not even laughing!” Kagami shot in.

“I’m laughing on the inside.”

“Bullshit, Tetsu.”

Himuro watched a friendly argument unfold in front of him, but strangely enough he found comfort in it. To think Ken had actually thought he would move back now. No, he wasn’t going anywhere. God knows Taiga would need his help with Kuroko-kun later, he thought as he watched the redhead point his finger in the blue haired man’s face, bristling like usual. Himuro smiled fondly. He was _fine_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for the late chapter update! Life got in the way! ;___; I've started school again so I've been busy, but hopefully you guys enjoyed the developing MuraHimu in this chapter!


	4. The One With Aomine's Big Decision, Part: 1

Kagami wasn’t about to lie and say he thought Kise Ryouta was a joy to be around, but he wasn’t _bad_. Kise had good qualities. He didn’t act like he was better than him (like Aomine), or had sex next to his room so he could hear it (like Aomine), or came into his apartment to grab food and beer (like Aomine), or picked fights with him (like Aomine), or insulted him (like Aomine). Generally, Kise wasn’t that hard to deal with if you got used to his clingy, narcissistic and loud nature. (Heck, sometimes Kagami had caught glimpse of a hard working, dedicated and passionate person, which were qualities he could appreciate.)

That’s what Kagami had _thought,_ anyway, before a day at the coffee shop when he, for the first time since he moved into the strange apartment complex with these weirdos, observed Kise Ryouta in a state that could only be described as: unrelenting, pure fury.

Murasakibara looked slightly peeved that his old classmate was fuming to the point where he was losing customers, but at the same time Murasakibara was very aware that if he didn’t sell everything he’d made, he could take it home himself. This he could afford to do at least one day a week considering how great business was otherwise, which was pretty much the only reason why he hadn’t thrown Kise out yet.

Himuro was seated in the sofa next to his brother, Kuroko perched in a comfortable armchair next to them again, and Takao and Midorima seated with Momoi in the sofa opposite of them. It would have been one of the better afternoons they’d spent together if it hadn’t been for Kise’s dark, deadly aura surrounding the room.

“I was afraid to ask what was wrong,” Momoi confessed, eyebrows drawn together as she looked at Kuroko. “Thankfully I didn’t have to because of you, Tetsu-kun. How do you survive living with someone who gets so upset when a relationship ends?”

She’d known Kise all her life, and yet was not used to seeing his dark side. He was always so sunny and cheerful around her, eager to do his job and determined at that; not to mention talented. She’d seen him saddened, angry and upset, whiny too, of course, but never had she experienced this pure hatred rolling off her blond client in waves. Thank God they were not supposed to be on any shoots for the next two days.

“You know Kise-kun, Momoi-san. He does not like dishonesty, and Eiji-kun was cheating on him. It is understandable he feels—” Kuroko raised an eyebrow as he watched his roommate tear up napkins by the counter, Murasakibara looking less and less amused by the second. “— _upset_.”

“Dang, he was cheated on?” Kagami asked, feeling a flicker of sympathy. Kise could be an annoying leech sometime, but he was a good guy, and didn’t deserve _that_. “I didn’t even know he had a boyfriend.”

“Not like you pay attention to Kise’s dates anyway, Taiga,” Himuro pointed out. “But you should have noticed he brought the same guy home the last couple of weeks, at least. I met him. He actually seemed nice so I didn’t see this one coming.”

“How was I supposed to notice it was the same guy? He always brings back the same types. Tall, tanned and always gives me a strange urge to punch them in the face.” Kagami took a sip of his coffee, ignoring Himuro’s slight raise of an eyebrow, and Midorima’s snort. As if a cue Aomine suddenly burst through the door, and Kagami’s mouth formed to an ‘o’ in realization. “Oooh, so _that’s_ why.”

Takao snickered, and even though she tried to hide it for the sake of her old childhood friend Momoi smiled, clearly amused as well.

As Aomine approached, however, Momoi’s smile dissolved. Kagami blinked, not sure if he was supposed to point out that his sex-addicted neighbor looked pale, eyes wide and— uh, fingers shaking? Geez. _Aho_ mine had never looked worse.

“Dai-chan?” Momoi waved him over, eyes furrowing in concern. He looked like he was having problems deciding where to place himself so she guided him down to where she had previously sat, repeating his name in attempt to get him to talk. When that didn’t work she cupped his cheeks and made him look her in the eyes. “Earth to Dai-chan, what’s _wrong_? Did something happen? Why aren’t you at work?”

“Aomine-kun?”

“Seriously, Aomine, are you okay?” Takao frowned. Even Midorima seemed concerned now.

“I— I… uh…” Aomine’s voice sounded unsure, almost shaky. Frankly, Kagami was getting worried. He’d been here for four months now and had never once seen Aomine Daiki speechless. “I just got— I’m, she told me to meet to her, but I—”

“Does he know he’s not making any sense?” Takao glanced at Midorima who raised an eyebrow.

“Dai-chan, speak to us. What _happened_?” Momoi’s frown deepened. “Midorin is he sick?”

“Possibly. I’ve never seen him like this before.” Midorima leaned closer, eyebrows furrowing tighter together as he studied Aomine’s face minutely. “His pupils are very dilated, perhaps—”

“I’m not sick!” Aomine suddenly snapped defensively. He ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. “A girl I met at a bar four months ago called.” The blue haired man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She said she’s _pregnant_.”

A heavy silence settled over them, Momoi’s face going pale, and five pairs of eyes widening. Aomine pursed his lips, eyes shifting down to his feet. Then followed a loud crash that pulled all attention away from Aomine. Instead everyone looked at Kise, and the broken cups that had been filled with coffee now sprayed out on the floor.

Kise’s eyes were wide, mouth hanging open, and Aomine seemingly refused to meet his eyes.

———

Kuroko Tetsuya had been a shoulder to lean on for Kise back in High School when Aomine had rejected his affections. Kise had confessed to even having had a crush on Kuroko back in middle school, but never acted on it, because he’d known Kuroko didn’t feel the same way, but with Aomine, Kise had said it had been different, something Kuroko believed. He prided himself as a good judge of character after hours of observing people’s behaviors, facial expressions, body language, and he _knew_ his friends. Knew that Aomine-kun had problems with commitment and that Kise pushed too hard, and that meant something disastrous was going to happen, which it did.

It had taken them _months_ to come to talking again, and even now, after several years with friendship and hardships, there would always be that slight tension between them. Slight, but still there.

He wanted them to get along, and right now they both equally needed him. It was just a matter of which friend to speak to first. Currently, Aomine-kun was with Momoi-san so he had chosen Kise-kun, but the problem was: Kise had just gone through a horrible break-up and then gotten these upsetting news, so it was to be expected that he was going a little crazy. His old classmate had never quite been good at keeping his emotions inside, but when he did and they released they were somehow even worse than usual.

Kuroko sighed slightly to himself, hearing yet another crash from inside Kise-kun’s room. There were a lot of cursing in there — some Kuroko suspected were in French; Kise-kun had taken classes and practiced every time he went to Paris for fashion weeks — and muttering that was definitely in Japanese, but said so quickly Kuroko couldn’t quite pick up on them. This was _bad_.

“Kise-kun,” he tried, knocking lightly on the door. “I do not mean to impose, but you know Akashi-kun won’t tolerate any non-accidental damage to his apartments. He won’t forgive just because we are old friends who live here under special conditions.”

There was another crash, followed by silence. For just a brief, horrible moment, Kuroko was afraid Kise might have accidently gotten hurt and knocked himself unconscious, but then the door was abruptly pulled open and the blond’s face came into view, teeth gritted, eyes red and puffy, and with a look that could _kill_ —

“ _Pregnant_ , Kurokocchi! _Pregnant_!” Kise briskly walked past him, eyes thrown out in frustration. “He knocked up some busty stranger he picked up in a _bar_. I know Aominecchi only thinks with his _dick_ and even if he thought with his brain it would be a Neanderthal basketball brain, not anything useful, but this is— this is _fucked up_ , Kurokocchi! Fucked up! ”

Kuroko would have winced when Kise kicked the couch if it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d dealt with his roommate’s rage fits on more than one occasion. This one was the worst he had seen yet, however, because when Aomine rejected him back in high school he’d wiped Kise’s tears, and forced him to take care of himself. He loved them both, he did, but he had been mad at Aomine-kun then, and he was mad at him now. Aomine-kun really knew how to fuck things up. He just wished he was just as good at repairing them.

“Kise-kun, please sit down.” Kuroko kept his voice firm, hand gesturing towards the couch that his roommate had previously kicked.

He watched calmly as Kise’s hands balled into fits, before the blond did as told, slumping down into the cushions as if all energy had suddenly left his body. Kise then grabbed a pillow and buried his face into it. Kuroko frowned, and sat down next to his roommate, hands coming out to place itself on the blond head. Kise-kun really tested his limits sometimes, but at least he had a lot of experience making Momoi-san feel better, and, frankly, it didn’t matter that Kise was male, he was to be handled delicately much like her. Honestly, that was how they had to handle Midorima-kun and Murasakibara-kun too when they got upset.

“We do not know everything about the situation yet, Kise-kun, about what really happened, or what Aomine-kun is planning to do. You should calm down, and please eat. You haven’t had anything since breakfast.”

“It’s just so fucked up, Kurokocchi!” Kise murmured, grip tightening around the pillow, but he didn’t say anything else. He took a deep breath as Kuroko ran his fingers through his hair in a calming manner, and then hesitantly sat up. His eyes were even redder than before. Kuroko knew that pointing out that Kise-kun still had feelings for their old teammate — that they’d been there ever since high school and seemingly weren’t subsiding — wouldn’t do him any good. Kise always refused to acknowledge that Aomine still had that affect on him. Kise-kun had never quite recovered from the blow.

“Do you want me to make you something, Kise-kun?”

“Not really feeling like having boiled eggs, or anything else with eggs either, Kurokocchi.”

Ouch. Well… it was kind of true. Kuroko wasn’t really all that talented in the kitchen. He’d thought about asking Murasakibara to teach him, but said old friend didn’t make anything that wasn’t unhealthy. He and Aomine-kun were the masters of takeout. Kise-kun could cook just fine, but he wasn’t _skilled_. Midorima-kun was a disaster. Takao-kun wasn’t half-bad though. Kuroko suddenly remembered that Himuro had mentioned Kagami was skilled. Perhaps he could ask him for lessons.

“Well, I suppose I could order—”

“I brought pizzas!” Takao had stuck his head out through the door with two pizzas in his hand, grinning widely as per usual.

Kise had to throw his head back and laugh despite the fact that he was feeling like shit. “Should I be worried about how well you know me, Takaocchi?” The blond rubbed his eyes, a soft smile settling on his lips as their friend locked the door behind himself and approached the couch.

“Probably,” Takao said teasingly, nudging Kise’s shoulder with his after seating himself.

“I’ll get napkins.”

As Kuroko headed to the kitchen area, Kise rested his head on Takao’s shoulder, visibly pouting. Takao placed his hand on Kise’s head, snorting. “There, there, blondie. So he knocked up some one-night stand chick, I mean it’s _Aomine_. I’m actually surprised he didn’t knock someone up _sooner_. She’ll probably just want him to pay for an abortion, and then this’ll all be over, and you two can go back to pretending there’s actually nothing between you.”

Kise raised his head from his friend’s shoulder and glared: “There _isn’t_ , Takaocchi.”

“Okay, if you say so.” But Takao was still smirking. Kuroko was surprised Kise hadn’t thrown a pillow in his face by the time he returned with napkins and plates.

“Takao-kun might have a point though, Kise-kun. I am sure Aomine-kun will be able to handle this without any reason for you to get upset.” Kuroko grabbed a slice of pizza, tucking his knees to his chest in the armchair he was occupying, and said: “If you really don’t care about Aomine-kun in a romantic fashion I doubt you have anything to concern yourself with.”

It was a bit of a dirty move.

Both he and Takao _knew_ Kise was lying to himself, and Kise knew they knew, and yet he insisted on never voicing it out loud, because knowing that they knew didn’t mean Kise would not to continue to pretend they didn’t know. It was tiring at times (and stupid), but they couldn’t do much about it. Not if Kise insisted on holding onto his unrelenting stubbornness.

There was a knock on the door, followed by the doorknob twisting. Himuro peeked over at them from behind the door. “Hey, how are you doing? Can I join you guys for pizza?” Smiling sheepishly, Himuro rubbed the back of his neck. “Taiga’s at work, and I… might have burned my dinner.”

Kise laughed again. Kuroko was simply glad putting Kise back together was not just his job anymore.

———

Aomine wanted to say that there was no way he could’ve ever knocked someone up. That he was one hundred percent sure that all his sexual activities had been well planned, and that protection had been his first priority. Of course he _tried_ to always use a condom, but sometimes he was a tad bit too drunk to remember if he’d used one or not. It wasn’t often, but it was an undeniable fact that some one-night stands had not been as carefully handled as usual, so when that woman — Kikio something — had called him and said she was pregnant, he couldn’t say it wasn’t a possibility.

She said she wanted to meet him, and, no, he had no say in it. Had it been a session where he _knew_ he hadn’t been drunk enough to forget about protection, he would’ve objected, but their night had been one of his crazier ones, and he knew this girl wasn’t someone who slept around, ergo he didn’t have any excuses to object to their meeting.

He met up with her again after work in a café near the station. The day had been long and tiring, so he was exhausted, but most of all he felt anxious. He cursed his dick, his one-tracked mind, alcohol and not to mention his sexual needs for putting in him this fucked up situation.

Kikio looked far less attractive than he remembered, or maybe he was biased because of her hostile attitude. She had served him a curt nod and then dropped the bomb. “I’m sixteen weeks along, but I’ll be leaving for America six months from now to attend school. My parents don’t want anything to do with the baby, and I don’t want it either, so that leaves you. As the baby’s father I think you deserve to know that you can take it if you want to, but if you don’t I’ll put him or her up for adoption.”

It was a lot of information to take in at once. Aomine felt like his head was on fire with all of this thrown in his face in such a short amount of time. Heck, he hadn’t even gotten to order a cup of coffee yet! She was so _direct_. He’d liked her better when she was drunk. Sure, she didn’t look half-bad with her golden hair and deep blue eyes, but what had possibly possessed him to go to bed with—

His eyes moved down to her chest, and he cursed himself inwardly. Oh. That explained a lot. Fuck, he was so boycotting boobs from now on.

“W-whadya mean you don’t _want_ it?” He said, eyes slightly wide as he looked at the busty woman in pure disbelief.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Kikio said, frowning in irritation. “Listen, Aomine-san, a baby was not in my future plans that span over at least four to five years. I’m going to a university in America to get a degree and most likely will settle down there seeing as I am planning on marrying an American, like my mother did, so I can stay there permanently.”

“How the fuck do you even know that kid is mine?” Aomine snapped, feeling anger build up in his chest. This fucking woman was dismissing the fact that she was four months along as if it meant _nothing_ , as if it was just highly inconvenient. He didn’t blame her for having plans the unexpected pregnancy crashed with, but she could at least act more humble about it. He wasn’t asking for her to put her life on hold for it, but she could’ve shown a remote sign that she was actually human.

“I don’t remember much of our night together specifically, Aomine-san. We were both incredibly drunk, but I know you’re the only man I’ve slept with in a six month radius, so this kid is yours, there’s no doubt about it.” She took a deep breath, actually showing an emotion this time. Although her looking shameful for losing control for one night didn’t exactly help his case at all. “Now, the only thing I’m asking, because I feel you deserve a say in the matter, do _you_ want the baby?”

Aomine didn’t know how to respond. He had thought he’d have to go down here and be asked to pay for an abortion, but this woman was too far along for that, and was planning on having the baby for so give it away. She didn’t _want_ it, and now was asking if _he_ did. As if she expected of him to have an answer to that _now_. He tried to open his mouth again to say anything really, but no words came out.

“I can see this is difficult for you.”

“No fucking shit,” he harshly croaked out, running his fingers through his hair. Terrific. Just _terrific_.

“All right then.” Kikio straightened up with a sigh. “I’ll give you two weeks, by then I will have to look for a suitable couple that will take the baby in if you don’t want it. You have my phone number, so give me your answer as soon as you make your decision. The quicker I can start preparing for an adoption the better.”

He didn’t have any energy to protest, but watched her briskly exit the café, leaving him feeling angrier than he could ever recall being. She spoke as if she had doubts he’d take any responsibility for his actions, when she really was no better. She dismissed the kid in her as a bump in the road towards her successful, future American life. Aomine was an officer. He’d seen dysfunctional family lives, had seen people who absolutely did not deserve kids having them, had seen children suffering from bad parenting, and he knew straight away she was no potential mother.

So perhaps it was a good thing she was not planning on keeping the baby, but that left him in an agonizingly tight spot. Something of his own flesh and blood was going to be given away, and he had to decide if he wanted it or not. If he wanted to take responsibility where this one girl he’d slept with months ago wouldn’t.

Fuck. Just _fuck_.

———

His friends were shocked when he told them what had happened. They obviously wanted to deliver some words of comfort, but it wasn’t like they could make the situation better by doing so. Aomine put his palms to his face, sighing into them as he slumped further into the couch, glad it was closing hours so there weren’t anyone else in the café but people from their apartment complex. Momoi rubbed his leg soothingly; she’d had the same upset expression ever since he came back, and he felt as if he had disappointed her somehow. She had always said she respected him for who he was, but he had a feeling she’d much rather have him settling down with someone with a kid on the way, than this predicament he’d gotten himself into.

Murasakibara nudged him and handed him what had to be his third or fourth cup of coffee since he’d gotten here. He nodded gratefully to his roommate, and took a big sip, before sighing once again. “I have no idea what to do,” he admitted. He figured there was no use putting on a mask for these people. Most of them had known him since middle school and knew that when he got like this he couldn’t keep up appearances to save his life. Also, he’d walked around aimlessly, blowing off steam ever since he’d been at the café with Kikio, so he was no longer angry, just upset. _Really_ upset.

“There are absolutely no chances that her family will consider providing for the child?” Midorima asked, even though Aomine had made that clear an hour again when he told them of what had happened.

The officer shook his head. “No. You guys should’ve seen her. She gives the term ice woman a whole new meaning, I’m telling you.” He rubbed his temple with the palm of his hand, frowning. “She made it pretty clear how this is going to go down. Either I take full responsibility over the kid or she’s given it up.”

“Well, I don’t mean to be dismissive or anything, but would it be that bad? Some couple out there is probably really excited for the idea of finally getting a kid.” Himuro tilted his head, clearly not that comfortable speaking up yet. They hadn’t known each other _that_ long, but Aomine appreciated that he tried to help either way. Pretty boy was a good guy at least and he liked him better than his redheaded goof of a brother.

Aomine clicked his tongue. Himuro had a point, but it still made his stomach twist uncomfortably, as if he had already subconsciously decided that he didn’t approve of that idea. Problem was, he had no say in which this kid ended up with. Kikio would do all that herself, and he didn’t exactly trust _her_ opinion. Sure, he could take full right over the kid and _then_ put him or her up for adoption so he was in charge, but—urgh, _why_ did he even have sex? Right now he really wished he had stayed a virgin till he was _thirty_.

 _A little late for that_ , _Daiki,_ he thought to himself inwardly sighing at his own stupidity.

“Aomine-kun, whatever you decide we will be there for you.” He glanced at Tetsu. The blue haired man was seated next to Kagami, giving him one of those reassuring looks Aomine always silently appreciated. “Should you decide to take the baby, Takao-kun, Mitobe-san, Koga-san and I have more than enough room at the daycare, so we would help you when you needed him or her to be looked after.”

“Hey, that goes for me too, Dai-chan. We’re so many people around who will help you out if you need it,” Momoi smiled at him for the first time since he’d dropped he news of his situation. It somehow didn’t make him feel any better though.

He shook his head, and threw his arms out in frustration. “You guys are insane! _I_ can’t take care of a kid! I live with _Murasakibara_ —” He gestured towards the purple giant who merely blinked at him as he absently swept the floor. “— I have never dealt with kids my entire life, I barely take care of _myself_. How am I supposed to take care of a living, breathing thing that I’m gonna commit myself to for eighteen years? Actually not just eighteen years, that’s just bullshit. A kid is for _life_.” His fingers were almost shaking as he held them up in front of him, cursing his hands for grabbing butts and getting women into bed with him in an attempt to forget his blon— wait, no.

No that was _wrong_.

Way wrong.

He was not going there.

“Dai-chan, _breathe_.” Momoi clapped her hands over his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “We didn’t tell you to do it. All we’re saying is that we _will_ help you if you need it. _If_ you’d want to take the baby we will be there to support you, that’s all we’re saying. This is all _your_ decision”

“Yeah, well, I wish it _wasn’t_ ,” Aomine grumbled, his voice slightly muffled by her squishing his cheeks. He averted his eyes, frowning.

He heard Midorima sigh, and glanced at his former teammate as he lightly adjusted his glasses. “Aomine, I have told you on numerous occasions that you need to grow up, and I am going to do it again. There are always going to be consequences for your actions, and this time that means you are in a difficult position, but as I see it you can either act like a grown up about it and _think over_ what you are deciding, or act as a child and run away from your problems.”

Takao glanced at his roommate, eyes wide at the bluntness, which he really shouldn’t be. Aomine had known Midorima for years, and the fact that he was usually right when he got like this made everything even _worse_.

The silence that followed was tense, but it didn’t last for long. Takao never was good at handling it.

“Or, you know, you could flip a coin.” Aomine sent him a non-impressed look. “Geez, okay, okay, just trying to break the tension. No need to look at me like that,” the smaller man said with a slight nervous laugh, putting up his hands in defeat. Midorima chose that moment to whack him behind the head as usual. Aomine felt no sympathy.

“Where’s Kise?” he grumbled, needing a change of topic. Not that he thought that was gonna last for long, this was too big of news for them to drop it just like that.

“Dunno, I haven’t heard from him.” Momoi glanced at Himuro and Kuroko who normally saw their blond wonder on a daily basis.

“He didn’t talk to me,” Himuro said with a frown, looking over at Kuroko. “You?”

“Kise-kun left this morning, but didn’t say where he was going. He was out the door before I could ask.”

Aomine hated to admit that he wanted Kise here. It wasn’t like it was _necessary_ or anything, but it somehow worsened his mood either way. He slumped further down into the cushions, frown growing deeper.

“Listen, I hate it say it, but Midorima has a point. You’ve got two weeks to think, right?” Kagami shrugged his shoulders as Aomine fixed his irritated gaze to him. “Better use ‘em well.”

He then realized that there was actually something that was worse than Midorima being right. When _Bakagami_ was, he seriously wondered if there was some kind of higher power up there laughing at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updated!! I will make sure to update faster this time considering this is a two part arc :') hope you enjoyed and please leave a comment?? Hope I'm not breaking too many AoKise hearts but fret not, they're my babies and I intend to make them happy.


	5. The One With Aomine's Big Decision, Part: 2

The week that followed was a nightmare. Aomine couldn’t recall ever using so much brainpower his entire life, weighing pros and cons, trying to figure out what he was _actually_ feeling, when in reality he had no idea what kind of emotions were spurring around inside of him. He just knew that he was in a fucked up situation he seemingly could not find the answer to, and living with a roommate who shared his same easy-going outlook on life and used even less brainpower than he did, did not help him in the slightest.

“Be honest, would I be that terrible?” He’d asked Murasakibara Saturday morning of the first week, probably having bothered his roommate about his own predicament for more than the twentieth time. The purple giant simply blinked at him, still not fully awake. “I mean, I can make _some_ food!” He gestured towards the pancakes he’d been preparing. “I’ve handled kids during job hours. Okay, they’re usually a bit bigger than infants— I… don’t think I’ve even touched an infant before, to be honest… but I make _money_ , so it’s not like I can’t provide for the kid, right? Shit, Midorima’s a doctor, so he can tell me what to do if it gets sick, and Tetsu’s good with kids so technically he could help out. He said he would.”

He waited for Murasakibara to say something, but all he got was silence so he turned around to look over his shoulder to see the purple giant still blinking at him with drool hanging at the corner of his mouth. Aomine felt a vein on his forehead pulsing. “Did you hear _anything_ I just said?”

Murasakibara nodded.

Aomine’s eyebrow twitched. “ _And_?”

“Can I have pancakes?”

“You can have them when you _answer_ me!”

“Then, yes, take the baby.”

For a moment Aomine froze, eyes widening slightly. “You serious? You think I should take it?”

Murasakibara nodded again.

“But what if I mess up? Midorima keeps telling me I’m still a kid in the head — the bastard — so that means I’m not really qualified to take care of a kid. What if I completely screw him or her over? What if the kid hates me like I hate my dad? What the fuck am I gonna do then?!”

“Then don’t take the baby.”

Aomine froze again, this time mid-motion, hands thrown out in frustration about the questions he’d put into his anxious rant, and then felt his entire body slump in defeat. “Why the fuck am I even talking to you, you’re as opinionated as a fried egg!”

“You made fried eggs too?”

“… I swear to God, one of these days I’m throwing you out.”

So Murasakibara wasn’t any help — something he felt he should’ve seen coming a mile away — but neither was anyone else around him. Tetsu, and Takao were biased. They took care of kids for a _living_ , and although he knew they respected his decision, they would probably prompt him into taking the kid subconsciously. Same with Satsuki, she couldn’t be trusted, always taking Tetsu’s side. Midorima? Well, no, that guy had been pretty clear already that it was up to himself, offering no advice whatsoever, freaking green bean. He wasn’t even going to consider Akashi. Guy was almost too busy to even greet them in the hallway sometimes.

He supposed Himuro and Kagami were probably a good choice, both not having known him for that long, and not having a particularly close relationship to kids, but the fact that they _weren’t_ close friends could also make them unhelpful. Like Murasakibara and Midorima they would most likely just tell him to decide for himself, probably in a more in-depth fashion, but overall they wouldn’t offer anything he could use.

The first week had passed, and he still didn’t have a slightest clue of what would be best, or what he wanted. Usually those two would conflict with each other, but this time he genuinely didn’t know what was right and what wasn’t. What pissed him off more was that Kise had avoided him the entire week. Everyone — heck, even his former Senpai and Ryou had popped in asking how he was doing (Satsuki had told them, the traitor) — but no Kise. Which was fucked up, because despite the tension that hadn’t really gone completely away since High School, Aomine considered him one of his closest friends.

Satsuki had said his schedule had been packed this week, so maybe he could excuse him that, but it had never stopped Kise from being there for any of them _before_. In other words, he doubted Kise would’ve kept away if he actually _wanted_ to see him and talk to him. He was avoiding him, that’s what he was doing, and it pissed Aomine off because it actually made him upset.

Sighing, he lit the smoke he’d rolled around between his fingers for a good fifteen minutes now. It was a bad comfort habit he’d gotten into in college, but he hardly ever needed it to make him feel better. Today was clearly an exception. He’d been launching around outside their apartment complex for too long. It was cold, so he probably should’ve removed his butt from the sidewalk a long time ago, but he couldn’t make himself do it. The cold air felt too good.

He dragged in the smoke, and then puffed it out slowly, closing his eyes to empty his head just a little. He felt anxious about making a decision, but he figured he could try something new. Maybe wait for a sign or something, leave it up to fate. Something stupid, like if the next person coming from behind the corner over there was blond he would keep the baby, or if it was a brunet he would leave it in Kikio’s care to get adopted.

“Aominecchi, what the hell are you doing sitting out here? You’re gonna freeze your ass off!”

Aomine hadn’t been aware his gaze had dropped to his shoes, before some familiar blue sneakers came into view, and he heard a voice he’d subconsciously been missing for an entire week. He snapped his head up, meeting Kise’s frowning face, and then raised an eyebrow at the sky, holding out his hands to emphasize his frustration. “You got to be kidding me,” he said grumpily into the air. If there was a God he really wanted to give him the finger right now.

Kise tilted his had with a deadpanned expression. “Who are you talking to?”

“Higher powers.”

“Since when are you religious?” Kise snorted.

“Since God just told me to keep the baby.”

He noticed Kise stiffening a little. He’d known this guy almost all his life; he knew when Kise Ryouta showed signs of being uncomfortable. Aomine clicked is tongue and put the smoke back to his lips, but before he could drag it in Kise had picked it from his mouth and thrown it away.

“ _Hey_.”

“I’ve told you a million times to stop doing that when you’re feeling upset, Aominecchi. Smoking is only gonna kill you faster,” the blond scoffed, tucking the coat tighter around himself, before sitting down next to him. Aomine wanted to be mad, but honestly, he felt too happy about Kise not walking away from him anymore to care about one cigarette. The other man had avoided him for an entire week, so it was refreshing to see he’d finally decided that they were still, you know, _close_.

“Yeah, well, if I’m lucky it’ll kill me tomorrow so I don’t have to deal with the shit that is my life,” Aomine grumbled to himself.

“Oh don’t be so melodramatic, Aominecchi.”

The tanned male tilted his head towards Kise, smirking despite himself. “I thought you liked drama.”

“Not anymore. Didn’t I tell you? I’m going through a complete character change. I’ve already bought my harley, next thing you know you’ll be seeing me in leather boots, leather pants and one of those biker vests with black stripes in my hair and tattoos all over my sexy arms. I’m gonna be a real hard ass, Aominecchi.”

Something resembling a mix between a snort and a laugh emitted from Aomine’s mouth, as he ran his fingers through his hair. His smirk widened. “Didn’t you do something like that in that article in our third year of High School? What was it called again: _Kise Ryouta — every girl’s type in one body_.”

“Oh god,” Kise buried his face in his hands as Aomine started laughing. “That’s one of the _worst_ thing’s I’ve ever done.” He removed his hands, face flushed. “And I’ve done a shitload of stuff I’m going to be ashamed for the rest of my life.”

“It wasn’t _that_ bad. Though that spray tan you got for that surfer shoot— I’m not going to comfort you for that one, you looked like an orange with blond hair, Kise.”

“Aominecchi, you’re so mean!” Kise whined, pout jutting out of his lips.

Aomine shrugged his shoulders, his laugh dying down a little. This was nice. He had missed Kise’s stupid face, and that whine that somehow along the way had become far less annoying and more endearing than what Aomine would dare to admit.

“I can’t believe you remember all that. I don’t think even Kurokocchi kept track of everything I did back in High School.” Aomine glanced over at the blond, feeling his heart skip a beat. Kise was smiling softly down at his shoes, fiddling with the hem of his coat in the process.

Aomine cleared his throat, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, well… I guess my memory’s not that bad. Been a bit hard to keep up with you after your career skyrocketed in college, but it’s not like I’m an total ignorant ass.”

Kise smile softened just a little, but Aomine couldn’t stand looking at him anymore, because Kise was a guy and a guy was not supposed to look that nice. They stayed silent for a long while, but for once it felt comfortable. The tension had seemingly decided to take a break for now, something Aomine was not going to complain about.

“Hey, Aominecchi?” Kise pulled his legs up to his chest, still having his gaze fixed to his shoes.

“Hm?”

“About the whole baby thing…”

“Man, for a moment there I almost forgot about that.” Aomine sighed, rubbing his temple.

“Do you want it? The baby I mean?”

“I don’t know…”

“Okay, I’ve known you for a long time now, Aominecchi, so I’m gonna ask you this.” Kise turned his head to finally meet his eyes. Aomine blinked. “Are you considering not having it because you think you’re going to be a bad dad?”

And this was why he had both wanted and didn’t want to talk to Kise all at the same time. The blond was always smart when Aomine didn’t want to face the truth. Then there was the fact that Kise Ryouta _knew him_. The scary thing about Kise was that he’d always known Aomine better than he knew himself, always had a talent of crawling in under Aomine’s skin. It was both a blessing and a curse.

Pursing his lips, the police officer leaned back on his elbows to look up. “I…”

“You can be honest with me.”

“Yeah, okay, I’m… terrified of being a fuck up just like my old man. You know my family, Kise; we’re not exactly known for being chummy with each other. My grandparents hates all of us, my dad just hates me, my uncles hates my dad, but likes me, and my mom just likes alcohol…” Aomine snorted, trying to ignore the urge to bring out yet another cigarette. Kise would just confiscate it anyway. “Overall, I don’t have the best role models.”

“Yeah, I know your family, but despite how fucked up it is, you’re _here_ , Aominecchi. You’ve got lots of friends who want to step up and support you if you decide to become a single parent, you’ve got a good job and a lot of coworkers who keeps bragging about you — frankly it’s a bit annoying — and you live in a nice apartment with lots of space. Only thing you’d have to do is actually be better at cleaning it up, and maybe learn to cook some more, but Aominecchi you’re nothing like your family. You’re a great guy, and that kid would be lucky to have you as a dad.”

He was almost speechless. He and Kise fought, and picked on each other — it had evened a bit out as they got older seeing as back at Teiko it had been mostly Aomine picking on _him_ — but he never appreciated the blond as much as when they put that aside and dared to open up. It was a long time ago since they’d talked like this though. It was… nice.

“You really think I’d do a good job?”

“Not at first.” Kise grinned. “You will _definitely_ need some help.”

Aomine narrowed his eyes at him. “Gee thanks, asshole.”

“ _But_ ,” Kise interjected, putting his finger up with a smile. “Overall, I think, and I come from a broken home myself, remember that Aominecchi, that you’d be a great dad. That you’ll take care of that kid, and teach him or her that basketball is the best sport. You’ll teach the kid how to play like a pro just like you, and how to make all the people around the neighborhood hate them because of their arcade skills and how to do an Ollie because somehow being a master at basketball wasn’t enough for you, you just had to be good at skateboarding too.”

Aomine found himself smirking as Kise nudged his arm. “And _I_ — I’ll give the kid some fashion sense, teach him — you know if it’s a he — how to even make straight guys like him despite being popular with the ladies, Kurokocchi will help the kid so it’ll actually not suck at school, and Murasakibaracchi will teach it how to make sweets, and Midorimacchi will— actually, we should keep the kid away from Midorimacchi, something’s not quite right with him.”

Laughing, Aomine flicked Kise’s temple, gaining him a whine. “You’re talking as if I have already decided.”

“Well, haven’t you?”

Aomine bit his lip.

———

The usual gang was gathered around their spot in Murasakibara’s café, some almost half-asleep due to a long day at work. Takao stretched his hands up in the air almost hitting Midorima whom he was leaning on. Midorima simply scowled at him as Kagami rejoined them after fetching some more coffee. He handed it over to Kuroko who sent him an appreciative smile as he locked his fingers around the warm cup. Himuro sighed slightly, leaning his head against Kise as the blond held up another magazine for him to see.

“What do you think about this, Himurocchi? Momoicchi thinks I should wear something like it for Tokyo’s upcoming fashion week. Just more of a burgundy color, and my pants will be dark gray and tighter than that.”

“It looks great,” Himuro complimented, moving the magazine closer so he could study the picture. “Though are you going to have a scarf to go with it? The V-neck makes too much skin pop out. It’s fall after all.”

“Yeah, still haven’t picked it out though. Will you help? I need a second opinion.”

Himuro snickered and glanced over at Kuroko who was seated next to his little brother. “What, your roommate not reliable enough?”

Kuroko snorted softly into his cup of coffee. It was fascinating how his face usually stayed straight and yet the more Himuro had gotten to know him the more emotions were on display when he let his guard down. “I have excused myself from ever giving Kise-kun fashion advice. Whatever I say is never good enough. Obviously, he doesn’t trust me.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Kurokocchi!” Kise said defensively with a big pout jutting out. Himuro continued to chuckle. “But you’re still wearing sailor stripes, okay, you’re not the most trustworthy source in terms of being up-to-date.”

“I hate to say it Kuro-chan, but he has a point,” Takao injected with a sleepy snicker of his own.

“Everyone’s a critic,” Kuroko sighed, silently pleased when it gained him a slight smirk from Kagami.

Murasakibara came up to them with yet another tray of coffee and cookies. Himuro couldn’t recall anyone ordering anything, but that were one of the benefits of being friends with the café’s owner he supposed. He smiled softly up at the purple giant as he seated himself next to him.

“You boycotting work?” Kagami asked, blinking.

“Fuku-chin said he’d close up. Apparently, he needs extra money.”

“Ah…”

Multiple pair of eyes glanced over as Fukui tied his apron from behind the counter. Murasakibara rubbed his temple, before glancing over at Himuro who blinked up at him. Atsushi was acting odd, almost as if he was nervous about something. That was highly unlike him considering most of the time Murasakibara was the most nonchalant person anyone had ever met.

“Atsushi, something up?”

“Uh… Muro-chin are you still looking for a job?”

This perked everyone’s interest, even Takao who had been dozing off in Midorima’s lap — which somehow no one had decided to comment on — and Himuro blinked slightly. “Yes. My last interviews were complete failures. One of the managers would only let me have the job if I sucked his dick.”

“ _What_?!” Kagami practically shrieked.

“Relax, Taiga, I think I kicked him so hard in the balls he won’t be reproducing anytime soon.” Himuro waved it off dismissively. Kagami still looked like he wanted to murder someone so Kuroko put a reassuring hand on his arm, patting it lightly. “ _Anyway_ , still looking, yeah.”

For a brief moment Murasakibara looked almost as murderous as Kagami, before he seemingly remembered what he was about to say and had to force himself to change topics. He cleared his throat and murmured: “Fuku-chin, Saku-chin and me aren’t enough anymore. Rush-hours are getting too troublesome…”

“Atsushi… are you offering me a job at The Purple Muffin?”

“If you want it...”

“I—yes! Absolutely! Thank you so much, Atsushi! I’ll do my best I promise!” Without thinking over what he was doing Himuro slung his arms around the taller man’s neck and enveloped him in a tight hug. Finally! No more job applications and having to deal with terrible managers and feeling miserable for his lack of contribution to the paying for the expenses.

Murasakibara cleared his throat once more.  Kise found it more than a little fascinating watching his old classmate’s face heat up, resembling Takao’s back last summer when he’d forgotten sunscreen at their day at the beach. It was refreshing to see Murasakibara actually convey some emotion other than indifference and annoyance. Unusual, but refreshing.

He cleared his throat again, and this time Himuro did let him go, still beaming like the sun. Murasakibara averted his gaze, red as a tomato, while Takao snickered loudly. “Aww, that’s so sweet! Now you’ll get to wave on us hand and foot, Himuro! It’ll be a real delight!”

“Who even says delight, how old _are_ you?” Kagami shot in.

“Twenty five and gaining,” Takao sighed dramatically.

The door to the café opened, revealing Momoi in a fancy form-fitting black dress and a ten-watt smile as she pulled Aomine out from behind her. “Everyone, we have an announcement!” the pink haired woman beamed.

“Please tell me you guys are not getting married, because then I’ll be losing like six thousand yen to Hanako-san across the street!” Takao spoke up, throwing his hands out. “You said you were practically siblings!”

“The fuck, Takao. Do we _look_ like we’re on our way to get hitched?” Aomine snorted, rolling his eyes.

“No, but _wow_ , Momoicchi, who are _you_ seeing tonight?” Kise whistled, eyeing up his manager with trained eyes. Her hair was put up in a messy bun, slightly curled hairlocks hanging neatly from the back of it and a few in the front. She made a slight spin for him so he could take a better look at the dress. “That has to be one of a kind. Who’s the designer?”

“Never mind that, Ki-chan! We have _other_ news!”

“Well, please get on with it. According to Takao we are getting older by the minute,” Midorima dryly commented, lifting a new cup of coffee to his lips.

“Okay, okay, Dai-chan tell them, tell them!” Momoi pushed her childhood friend in front of her, clapping her hands together in utter glee.

Aomine glanced behind his shoulder to narrow his eyes in annoyance, before turning his attention back to the crowd. He rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look at his friends directly (he’d always detested being the center of attention unless it involved basketball) and said: “So, uh I… went with Kikio — you know the heartless bitch who’s currently carrying my child — to a check up.”

That surely seemed to get everyone’s attention. Even Murasakibara seemed genuinely interested now, which was extraordinary in itself. He bit his lip, shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and then, despite himself let go of a slight smile. “I decided that I’m gonna keep the baby.”

Apparently that was the cue for Satsuki to squeal on top of her lungs and embrace him _again_ , which she had done on more than once since he told her. Of course he had to tell her first. In a way she was going to be an aunt.

“Are you serious? Congratulations!” Takao said, sitting up in the sofa with a big grin on his face.

“Aomine-kun, this is great news. I am very proud of you.” Kuroko smiled; standing up to give his old childhood friend a firm hug that Aomine awkwardly returned, while trying to ignore the blush on his cheeks.

“Yeah, Aominecchi!” Kise sent him a soft smile, and Aomine would be lying if he said it didn’t get to him just a little considering that Kise looked proud, and yeah it was awesome that Satsuki was proud and Tetsu was proud, but somehow it was just better when those golden eyes looked at him.

“Congratulations, Aomine,” Midorima said, nodding in recognition.

“Congratulations, Mine-chin— wait, is the baby going to live with us?” Murasakibara asked, tilting his head.

“Uh… I haven’t really thought that far yet. I mean if you want me to move out, Murasakibara, I can probably—”

“Nah, babies don’t eat my snacks. I’m good.” Murasakibara shrugged and Himuro just had to chuckle slightly at his new boss’ simplicity.

“Ah, must be nice being that simple-minded.” Takao shook his head slowly.

“I haven’t worked out all the details yet, but, yeah, so now you guys know.” Aomine shrugged his shoulders, unable to stop himself from grinning just a little bit. It had been hard to come to that decision, but after the check up — hearing the kid’s heartbeat — it was just confirmed. He didn’t want the baby to go. He was going to make it his life-mission to make an Aomine that was not messed up in the head.

“Well I think we should go out to celebrate!” Takao announced.

“Momoicchi already looks ready for that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, guys! Susa-kun finally asked me out so I’m actually headed for a date, but make sure you guys don’t drink _too_ much. Last time I had to go in-between apartments and hand out painkillers and clean your buckets. You guys still owe me for that by the way, I take cash.”

“Put it on our tab,” Takao said dismissively.

Momoi waved goodbye after giving her pseudo brother a kiss to the cheek, before practically skipping out the door. With Fukui having the job of closing up, the guys left the café and heading towards the pub downtown. Aomine stayed back a little, falling into step with Kise who had also fallen to the back of the group as well. The blond nudged him lightly, tilting his head with a smile. “Nee, Aominecchi, I knew you’d make you up your mind eventually.”

“Stop gloating, idiot,” Aomine nudged him right back, smirking. “I’d like to get _some_ credit myself here, thank you.”

Kise snickered, shaking his head. “You deserve credit, Aominecchi. This is brave of you. I’m not saying that not having taking the kid would be wrong, but it would’ve been _easier_. Now you know the baby’s gonna have a good place to grow up. I’m just…” Kise’s cheeks were slightly tinted red as he glanced away. “Really proud of you.”

“Kise… I… thanks…”

“No problem, Aominecchi.”

“Hey, lovebirds, you coming back there!?”

“Shut up, Takao!” They both yelled in unison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So looks like Aho is raising a baby! Poor child; how is it going to survive with all these loons looking out for it, eh? Naaah, they'll do fiiiiiiine. Mostly :P


	6. The One Where the Light Goes Out (AKA The One where Himuro and Murasakibara... You Know)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is rated: Explicit.

Kagami was newly showered, yet he still somehow felt he smelled like smoke as he made his way across the street to join the others at Purple Muffin. He tried to remember when he’d started automatically heading towards Murasakibara’s stupid place after work, just to check if anyone was around — preferably Kuroko considering the others still puzzled and annoyed him — and to have his daily cup of after-work coffee. Which hadn’t been a necessity _before_ , but had unexpectedly developed into one without him really seeing it coming. Turned out, he wasn’t sure.

Somehow it had just become a routine.

Well, he supposed he had another reason to check in now.

As soon as he opened the door he was greeted by his big brother waving from behind the counter, Murasakibara standing next to him handing out the pastry orders.

“Looks like Himuro-san is doing well.”

Kagami jolted to the side, hands reflexively thrown up in the air. “ _Kuroko_! For fuck’s sake, how many times have I told you to _not_ do that?!” He took a deep breath, trying to calm his heartbeat and squinted his eyes at the blue haired man. “And _don’t_ tell me you just got here, I kind of figured.”

“Then you also know it is your own fault, Kagami-kun. You need to pay more attention.”

Gritting his teeth, Kagami held up a finger to greatly protest at that, but never got that far before he felt someone shove him lightly to the side from behind. Aomine. _Of course_. “Don’t sweat it, Bakgami. Tetsu’s been berating all of us for our _‘_ lack of paying attention’ for years. Now move your ass, I need coffee.”

“Are you really going to try to convince me you don’t consume an unhealthy amount of caffeine when you’re _at_ work, Aomine-kun?” Kuroko commented, jabbing Kagami in the ribs so he wouldn’t grab Aomine by the collar and start a scene. This caused the redhead to utter some colorful English words that Kuroko actually understood, because everyone knew that the only fun thing about English was that they learned the curses in their dictionaries first. Well, he hadn’t, but Aomine-kun had been kind enough to indulge him back in middle school.

Kise came up from behind Aomine and snickered at his old classmate’s glowering expression as he leaned himself onto Kuroko. “Aww, Kurokocchi’s feisty today. I like it when you get like this.”

“Kise, stop flirting with Kuro-chan and get over here!” Takao called from the couch.

“If you think that’s me flirting, Takaocchi you don’t know me at all.”

“Should I make the usual or is someone _actually_ trying something new?” Himuro called from the counter as all his friends settled into their respective seats.

“New? That sounds dangerous,” Takao snickered.

Himuro answered him with a shake of his head and got to making the coffee at once, ending the conversation. Kagami watched his brother with mild fascination. He’d never seen Tatsuya in a professional working environment before. Well, as professional as it could get with his brother working for someone he actually considered a friend. Kagami still couldn’t fathom what Himuro had in common with Murasakibara, but he had given up trying to wrap his head around their bond a long time ago.

Technically, he shouldn’t get along with Kuroko either, but they seemed to be doing just fine. They’d spent last night watching action movies. Kuroko was strangely fascinated with the detective work in most of them and Kagami just liked the explosions. It was a good deal, and of course the amount of popcorn had also been appreciated.

Unfortunately, Kise crashed the party around two in the morning when he got home from his first party of Tokyo’s fashion week. How the blond managed to keep up appearances at an exquisite party and fashion show, and then sit down to join them for Mission Impossible 3 well after midnight was beyond his comprehension. Then again, Kagami got tired just by the thought of being the center of attention, much like Kise was on a daily basis, so he couldn’t really put himself in the blond’s shoes. 

That wasn’t really the point though. Kagami had tried to figure out why the fact that Kise joined them for movie night had… slightly annoyed him. It wasn’t like he had any more right to hang out with Kuroko than Kise had. In fact, Kise had all the right here, being Kuroko’s roommate, childhood friend, old classmate _and_ teammate. It just didn’t make any sense whatsoever.

Sure, he and Kuroko had grown really close lately. They were friends, close friends, he wasn’t going to deny that, but it’s not like that gave him any right to monopoly all of Kuroko’s free time and it certainly didn’t give him any right to think he deserved Kuroko’s undeniable attention.

It was confusing. And dumb. And he really needed coffee.

“Taiga.” He looked up as Himuro nudged his foot. “Your coffee.”

“Oh, right, thanks.”

“So what are you guys doing tonight?” Himuro asked as he lent Kise his soy latte with a hint of honey, which his friend accepted with a ‘thanks a bunch, Himurocchi!’

“I know we’re not drinking again. Shin-chan’s banned alcohol in our apartment now, so we’re going to this play thing downtown.” Takao sent his green haired roommate the biggest pout Kagami had ever seen on the smaller man’s face, but Midorima didn’t seem affected at all. If he was, he certainly didn’t let it show, but simply pushed Takao’s face away from himself.

“Serves you right from what happened last weekend.”

“So I fell asleep naked in the bathtub! What’s the big deal?”

“I don’t need to see you naked, Takao! That’s the deal.”

Takao crossed his arms in front of his chest with a displeased frown. “Are you implying my naked body is not an awesome sight, Shin-chan?”

“Don’t answer that to someone who has access to your personal belongings, Midorima-kun,” Kuroko spoke up as Midorima opened his mouth to reply. “Especially someone like you who keep a lot of collective items.”

“I’m with Tetsu on this one.”

Midorima simply grumbled something and glanced away with an irritated frown on his face, though Himuro could also detect some redness in the green haired man’s cheeks. Takao’s pout intensified and Himuro shook his head at them — because whatever tension was between those two he somehow had a feeling they would be dealing with later. He turned his attention towards Kise. “You?”

“Dinner with Momoicchi and another representative. She’s trying to get this magazine to consider me for their Christmas collection and I have to be there to put on my charm.” Kise flashed a smile his white teeth practically gleaming, and Himuro snorted as he gave him a nudge with his foot.

“Christmas collection?” Kagami raised an eyebrow. “Like dressing up as Santa and Rudolph the Reindeer collection?”

Kise sent the redhead a deadpanned look. “You don’t know a lot about fashion, do you Kagamicchi?”

“Taiga?” Himuro laughed and gestured towards his little brother who made an offended noise. “ _I_ buy most of his clothes.”

Aomine snorted into his hand and snickered at the blushing man. “Seriously? You’re twenty five years old and your brother still buys your clothes?”

“You’re one to talk, Mine-chin,” Murasakibara spoke up as he walked past the gang to clean off the table next to them. “Sa-chin does most of your shopping too.”

Aomine froze as Kagami pointed a finger at him. “ _Hah_!”

“Oh shut your mouth!”

“ _Anyway_ ,” Kise said to get the attention away from the quarrel that was taking form between Kagami and Aomine. “That means I’m not free. Sorry. Looks like a lot of us are busy tonight. Aominecchi?” Kise turned to look at the dark skinned man who shook his head, miraculously having decided to ignore Kagami instead of egging him on.

“Late-night patrols.”

“Guess that just leaves you, Murasakibaracchi, Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi then,” Kise said with a sympathetic smile.

Himuro shrugged. “We’ll be fine. Atsushi and I have to stick around until closing hours anyway.”

Kuroko glanced up at Kagami then. “Perhaps now is the time for Kagami-kun to finally cook me the dinner you promised you’d make. You could teach me some of your cooking skills while you are at it.”

Kagami narrowed his eyes at him, raising an eyebrow. “Sounds like you got our entire night planned out.”

“Well, unless you are _busy_ …”

“I didn’t say _that_.” Kagami shrugged his shoulders, trying to ignore that his heartbeat had increased ten-fold after the revelation that he and Kuroko would be spending most of the night alone. At least until Tatsuya and the purple giant over there were done with their shifts later. He supposed he had promised that dinner thing a couple of months ago and it wasn’t like he was against the idea.

Kuroko seemed to already have made up his mind as he a couple of hours later knocked on the door with an apron wrapped around his waist, same expressionless face looking up at him as always. Kagami laughed a little and eyed the apron. “ _I am a Pretty Princess_ ,” he read out loud. “We’ve known each other for a while now, so I’m just gonna assume that isn’t yours, Kuroko.”

“You are correct. It’s Kise-kun’s,” Kuroko explained, seemingly unfazed by Kagami’s amusement. “Though I am pretty sure it was a gag-gift. Kise-kun might have a few feminine attributes, but overall he isn’t interested in something like this.”

“Does he use it regularly?” Kagami had returned to the kitchen where he’d been in the middle of bringing the vegetables out of the fridge. He brought out the knife and glanced at Kuroko who had placed himself next to him.

“Yes, why? He doesn’t cook for anyone but me.”

“Kise can cook?” Kagami raised an eyebrow.

“Kise-kun is very good at copying other people’s skills. I showed him how to do origami once and he got better than me only a few hours later. It is frustrating, really.” Kagami _thought_ Kuroko was frowning, but sometimes it was a bit hard to tell. He was getting better at reading him though. Way better. It gave him a sense of pride he was not about to analyze.

“So who did he copy the cooking skills from?”

“Murasakibara-kun for sweets, my grandmother for anything else, I suppose. We used to go to my house back in middle school when we were not playing basketball, and my grandmother had— well, _has_ a sweet spot for, Kise-kun. Another thing that is frustrating, I suppose.”

“You’re being strangely open today.” Kagami flashed a smirk at what he now definitely knew was Kuroko frowning; clearly he hadn’t been aware how much he’d shared in less than five minutes.

“You’re… easy to talk to, Kagami-kun.”

He was _not_ blushing, okay. He was sweating because of the onions… sure, he wasn’t chopping them _yet_ , but they could still affect him from afar. Clearing his throat, Kagami held up a knife and Kuroko hesitantly took it. “So, first lesson first: chopping. S’not that hard, just be careful with your fingers.”

“That is sort of obvious, Kagami-kun.”

“… Do you want to learn or not?”

———

Himuro was fuming as he turned the sign on the door from “open” to “closed.” He flicked his last customer off through the window when he knew the middle-aged man couldn’t see him. He then stomped into the back where Atsushi was checking off the list of chores that had to be done before every closing. Noticing his employee’s fury, Murasakibara tilted his head and placed his hand on Himuro’s shoulder.

The older man jumped. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Atsushi, I was just so lost in thought, I almost forgot you were— I’m sorry. Should’ve paid more attention.” Himuro sent him an apologetic smile, all gentle and soft. Murasakibara’s stomach churned slightly.

“Muro-chin should breathe and tell me who I’m supposed to kill.”

Despite himself, Himuro broke into a slight laugh, shaking his head as he moved his fingers through his bangs. “Just some homophobic asshole, Atsushi. I haven’t met any of those since I got here. This area is so full of people like me that I almost forgot people like _that_ exists.” He frowned, and glanced at Atsushi from behind his bangs, straightening up some. “I have no idea what gave me away though. It’s not like I’m wearing a pride pin on my chest.”

“Muro-chin is a pretty guy. Assholes make assumptions. I would know.” Atsushi shrugged and moved to the opposite side of the kitchen; hanging the apron he’d been wearing away. Himuro’s heartbeat had suddenly decided to speed up, and he suspected that his face was currently so red it matched his little brother’s hair. Sometimes he swore Atsushi was flirting with him, then the next second the purple haired guy seemed nonchalant about his entire existence.

“W—uhm, what do you mean?”

“Muro-chin I’m a very big guy.”

“Well, believe it or not, Atsushi, I’ve noticed.” Himuro smirked as he leaned against the counter, arms crossed firmly over his chest.

Murasakibara sent him a look in pure annoyance, clearly not appreciating his sarcasm. “You’re so annoying, Muro-chin.”

“Really? Heh, I’m sorry, Atsushi.” Himuro already felt better. It was a nice change, having someone around who could somehow lighten his spirits just for, basically, existing. He was still ordering himself to keep back, considering he wanted Atsushi’s friendship first, and— well, anything _else_ second, but it was getting increasingly harder not to ask if the purple haired man thought the same about him. They were _close_ , but that didn’t necessarily mean Murasakibara swung his way if he swung any way at all, and unlike the douche who had treated him like garbage just a couple of minutes ago Himuro didn’t like making assumptions whether anyone was anything.

Straight, gay, bisexual, maybe none… He wanted to ask. He was just afraid to.

Feeling a bit restless, Himuro hoisted himself up so he was seated on the counter rather than leaning against it and observed his purple haired boss who was now cleaning off some of the recipes where he was seated.

“Anyway,” Murasakibara murmured absently. He had fished out some chocolate bars from the fridge and was munching slowly as he cleaned. “People think just because you appear to be something you automatically have to be it. Just because I look scary doesn’t mean I am.”

“Atsushi…” Himuro felt his chest tighten as he reached out, but stopped himself just before his fingers would brush the other man’s shoulder. Thankfully, Atsushi’s back was still turned. He took a deep breath, and hesitantly lowered his hand into his lap. Instead he softly said: “… If it helps, I never once thought you looked scary.”

Murasakibara momentarily stopped wiping and glanced back at him. The look of wonder and curiosity in Atsushi’s eyes made Himuro’s chest tighten even further. He wanted so badly to touch, just reach out and run his fingers through Murasakibara’s hair, lean in and—

Suddenly, everything went black. Himuro let out a slight noise in pure surprise, glancing around in the darkness.

“What just—

“Power went out,” he heard Murasakibara grumble. He then heard noises coming from where Atsushi had been standing, a few curses followed, but before Himuro could offer his assistance Atsushi had found a candle and matches. “Here, Muro-chin.” He handed Himuro a second candle and lit it for him. Himuro nodded gratefully.

They made their way out from the kitchen and into the shop that was almost completely dark. Himuro wouldn’t say he was _scared_ of the dark, but it made him a tad bit uncomfortable when he realized that the streetlights outside were no longer on. “It must be the entire area,” Himuro mused as Murasakibara walked past him. The purple haired man pulled at the door, but it didn’t move an inch.

Atsushi clicked his tongue. “We’re gonna be stuck here for a while, Muro-chin.”

“What? Why?” Himuro blinked.

“Remember I told you about the new security lock Aka-chin got for me? It’s automatic for closing time, which was five minutes ago. If the power had been on we’d write in the security code when we were going home.” Murasakibara gestured towards the panel that had newly been installed on the door, and Himuro’s mouth formed an ‘o’ in realization. They were locked inside.

“I’m sure it will come on again soon,” Himuro said with a small smile and a shrug, stepping closer to Atsushi nonetheless. “But since we don’t know how long we’re going to be stuck here… maybe we should line up some candles?”

Nodding, Murasakibara guided them back into the kitchen. There were twenty candles in total, something Himuro found himself grateful for as they lined them up around the couches where they usually sat with the gang. They didn’t light them all at once, just in case they would be stuck there longer than expected. Soon Tatsuya found himself wrapped in a blanket, legs drawn to his chest as he watched eight candles burn around the café.

He smiled slightly as Atsushi came back with a bag of snacks. For once it was a good thing that his boss always had a stack of it somewhere so they wouldn’t starve. Murasakibara offered him a bag of chips, which he accepted with a smile. “Cheese and onion. Isn’t that rather uncreative of you, Atsushi?” he said with a slight smirk. “I thought you were more experimental.”

There was a brief pause, before Atsushi said: “They’re your favorite.” Himuro’s stomach felt like it had suddenly dropped, more so when he continued. “If Muro-chin wants a taste I always buy double packages.”

Himuro had never been in love before. He’d had several boyfriends, or— well, several lovers were more like it. However, he had never felt like he had mattered. He had felt desired; he’d felt attractive and _hot_. He’d felt like he could get a man into his bed with just a wave of his index finger, but he had never felt anything like this. He’d never felt like he was _special_. Until now.

It… well, it was a nice feeling.

“A—Atsushi… that’s…” Sweet? That’s so nice? Both responses sounded far too lame and surely didn’t emphasize how much such a small gesture actually meant to him. But was it such a small gesture though? Atsushi spent a lot of time thinking about his snacks and the fact that he sacrificed some place in his plastic bag for a chips he knew was _his_ favorite— it was strange, but also weirdly… romantic.

Or maybe he was just reading too much into this. Maybe it was simply a gesture from a close friend. Technically that would make far more sense. Atsushi had not shown any sign that he wanted anything more than being friends, so Himuro had to admit he felt guilty about constantly wanting something different from him.

“Hey, uhm, Atsushi, can I ask you something?”

Glancing up from his bag of chips — that was already nearing the finish line — Atsushi hummed. “Okay.”

“Have you— I mean, have…” Himuro felt unusually uncoordinated and awkward, something he was not at all familiar with. He fumbled with the blanket wrapped around him and took a deep breath. “Have you ever been with… anyone?”

“What do you mean, Muro-chin?” The purple haired man tilted his head.

“You know, uhm… have you ever had a date? A girlfriend?”

Murasakibara’s nose wrinkled. “Why would I want that?”

Himuro bit his lip. “I’m guessing that means you’ve been never had a relationship or…”

“No, Muro-chin. I’ve never had a relationship, I’ve never had sex and I have never wanted to.” Atsushi looked annoyed now, but not the way that made Himuro smile. No, it was the kind of annoyance that made Himuro feel guilty for asking those questions in the first place. He shouldn’t have even opened his mouth. God, he shouldn’t have intruded. Those matters were private and no matter how much he adored Atsushi that did not excuse his behavior.

“Atsushi, I didn’t mean to make it sound like that’s a bad thing. It’s not. Absolutely not. I’m—”

“Relax, Muro-chin. You’re being weird.”

“I’m… really sorry.” Himuro glanced away, cheeks growing red as he lowered his legs from his chest.

“Muro-chin…” A hand was placed on his thigh then, and suddenly Himuro was fairly aware how big those hands were and how _warm_. Something in him tingled, from the place where Atsushi was currently touching him through his abdomen and all up to his chest. He had to take a deep breath to even remotely compose himself. “Can I kiss you?”

For one moment it felt as if someone had pulled out the air from his lungs. Himuro’s fingers shook a little as he reached out to place his hand to Atsushi’s cheek, drawing him a bit closer. He whispered in, still a bit shocked by what Atsushi was implying: “You want to? Have you ever—?”

“Yeah but it wasn’t consensual.” Atsushi’s nose wrinkled once more at the memory.

Himuro had to smile. It didn’t feel like his heart was moving anymore; or maybe it was, just too fast for him to register.  “Do you want a consensual kiss then?”

“I thought I made that pretty clear, Muro-chin.”

Himuro wasn’t sure what he’d expected. Perhaps because Atsushi was so inexperienced he’d expected something sloppy and careful, but on the contrary, what met him were soft lips, pressing comfortably against his own. Not too hard, not too soft, but just right. Himuro’s chest fluttered as he leaned further into the kiss. Atsushi lightly bit on his lip, which caused a small gasp to escape form his mouth, and Himuro’s fingers reached out to tangle into the long, purple hair that Atsushi had kept in a ponytail all day. Himuro hummed appreciatively.

They pulled away for air, Murasakibara’s forehead coming to rest on his. Himuro felt his arms sneak around his waist, bringing him closer as they panted lightly. “Wow,” Himuro breathed softly, glancing up at his boss with a fond smile. “Are you… _sure_ you haven’t done that before?”

“Nothing like that,” Murasakibara admitted. He nuzzled his nose against Himuro’s forehead then, his grip tightening slightly around him. Himuro felt something akin to pure and utter joy dwell up inside of him. He had _hoped_ Atsushi felt the same way, of course he had, but he hadn’t dared to believe it. “Muro-chin…” Atsushi’s voice was suddenly very close to his ears and Himuro noticed — despite his hazy mind — that the bigger man had put his hands further up his sides and somehow wriggled their way under his shirt. Murasakibara was touching his skin, his big fingers caressing the spot just below his chest.

“Atsushi…” Himuro breathed.

“Muro-chin… you make me feel… I don’t know what it is, I’ve never felt it before.”

Murasakibara glanced away, seemingly embarrassed by his own words. The few times Atsushi didn’t look annoyed by others was when he was annoyed with himself. Right now his eyebrows were furrowed together, a small pout on his lips. He had problems putting his own feelings into words, and Himuro could relate, so to spare him the embarrassment Himuro simply put his hand to his cheek and guided him back to they could look each other in the eyes. “You don’t have to explain,” he whispered.

“Do you—?” Murasakibara looked hesitant.

“I want you too.” Grinning slightly, Himuro teasingly poked Murasakibara’s nose and mimicked the purple haired man’s voice as he said: “I thought I made that pretty obvious.”

“Annoying, Muro-chin,” was the only warning he got before he was pulled into Atsushi’s lap, the younger man’s lips finding his in the process. Himuro uttered a small gasp in surprise as he felt a hand sneak over to his bottom, squeezing sensually along with the exploring lips. For being a person without experience Atsushi sure seemed to know how to get what he wanted. Somehow it fit him, Himuro thought, arms wrapping around the bigger man’s neck, lips pressing harder against Atsushi’s, because Himuro liked it a little rough. Liked the feeling of swollen lips and a sore back.

As they exchanged more kisses Himuro’s hands moved down to unbutton the black shirt on Murasakibara’s body. He did it slowly, kissing the man’s lips, nose, jaw and neck as he did it. Murasakibara’s head had leaned back, pleased moans escaping his mouth now and then as he let Himuro’s hands undress his upper-body. Soon Atsushi’s muscled chest was visible and Himuro moved his hand over it, thumbs running up the firm pecks, pushing the shirt off the strong shoulders.

Atsushi really had an amazing body, Himuro noted, as he impatiently removed the offending fabric. It was unfair that someone so lazy with such an appetite for sugar and salt could maintain a body like this. Sure, he could appear a bit lanky at times, moving at a sluggish pace instead of holding himself up, but Himuro couldn’t care less about something like that. He’d never felt so excited about undressing someone.

He kissed Murasakibara’s collarbone, wriggling further into the bigger man’s lap, hands still roaming over the ripped chest. Atsushi’s moans were a bit louder now, appreciative of the attention he’d never experienced before. Himuro felt a pang of pure satisfaction. Atsushi had never been with anyone before. Atsushi had never _wanted_ to be with anyone before him. He’d somehow made the younger man feel things he’d never felt before. Himuro could not express how happy this made him, so he decided to show it. He grabbed Atsushi’s cheeks and pressed a passionate, loving kiss to his lips, tongue darting over the other man’s teeth, before moving further into his mouth to play around, lick and taste.

It was a sweet taste he found, something he shouldn’t have been too surprised over, because it was _Atsushi_ , but it was also an addictive taste. He almost forgot they had to breathe for a second, but when his lungs started protesting he didn’t have much of a choice. He pulled back leaving a small trail of salvia. He took a deep breath, eyes meeting Atsushi’s. “Atsushi… I have to say something.”

“Muro-chin?” Murasakibara’s voice sounded unsure, almost as if he suspected he had done something wrong.

Himuro quickly shook his head and wrapped his arms tighter around the younger man, hugging him so close that if it hadn’t been for Atsushi’s impressive size he would have been worried about suffocating him. “I like you a lot,” he whispered into the purple haired man’s ear, the tight hug preventing Murasakibara from seeing his flushed face. “So much that I… don’t want to mess this up. If you don’t want any of this, please tell me now so I won’t get my hopes up, because I have only been with assholes before, Atsushi. I’ve never been in love before, and I think I am now so please tell me now if this isn’t what you want.”

His voice almost cracked, which probably surprised Himuro more than it did Murasakibara. Himuro hadn’t been aware he’d felt it this strongly until he was seated here, in Atsushi’s lap, pressed up against the younger man’s naked chest. He was terrified he’d scared Atsushi away with his words, but what he got was a tight squeeze right back. They were as pressed together as they could and Himuro would be lying if he said he didn’t like the feel of Atsushi’s strong arms around him.

“Muro-chin… I wanted to kill your ex when he was here. I want Muro-chin to be _mine_. I don’t want Muro-chin to be with anyone else ever again.” There was a possessive streak in Murasakibara’s voice as he whispered back into Himuro’s ear, making him shudder just a little.

The smaller male drew a shaky breath, pulling back enough so they could look at each other again. “Really?” he said, eyes hopeful.

“Muro-chin, you’re so stupid sometimes.”

Himuro didn’t need more of an invitation to lean in for yet another kiss, this one softer than the previous ones that had nearly left them breathless. This time he wanted to focus on Murasakibara’s lips, wanted to enjoy the sensation of sucking on his lower-lip in a calm manner, his senses hyper-aware when Atsushi’s fingers moved up to unbutton the shirt that was now clinging to Himuro’s gradually sweating body.

Atsushi removed his shirt in one swift motion, hands curiously roaming across his skin. It was fascinating to watch the younger man’s expression. Due to how new it all was Atsushi moved at a slow pace that made Himuro feel over-sensitive. Usually sex was a fast thing for him. It was direct and rough, which wasn’t necessarily bad, but somehow watching Murasakibara’s loving, curious expression — just with a mix of hunger and desire thrown in — felt ten times more intimate than any of his previous experiences combined.

“A-Atsushi…” he gasped as thumbs brushed his nipples, eyes shutting briefly due to the blissful sensation.

Murasakibara’s eyes shone in pure curiosity as he poked at the pierced ring in Himuro’s right nipple. “How long have you had that, Muro-chin?”

Didn’t matter how long; it was still sensitive and Himuro’s entire frame shuddered when Murasakibara touched it. “S-senior year of High School.”

Himuro leaned into the big hands, sighing contently as they touched and groped, thumbs still playing with his nubs, seemingly paying special attention to the piercing. He took yet another deep breath, before promptly biting his lip to stop himself from uttering too many embarrassing sounds. It proved to be fairly difficult, however, when Atsushi leaned his head down to nibble at his at his chest. Himuro’s fingers curled deeper into the purple mane of soft hair, head throwing back to whimper at the attention served to his skin. He then felt kisses on each of his nipples, followed by a firm suckle on the right nub around the piercing. “Atsushi!” he groaned, buckling slightly into the younger man.

He was starting to doubt Murasakibara’s words, despite the fact that there was absolutely no reason for him to lie about his previous experiences (or lack thereof in Atsushi’s case), but how could someone who was so inexperienced know how to use his tongue like this? The only explanation Himuro could find was that spending years of licking ice cream, lollipops and other sweet treats had made Murasakibara Atsushi quite a… _lick_ expert.

Himuro didn’t mean to be lewd — or at least that was far from the only thing he wanted to share with Atsushi — but he had a _lot_ he wished to introduce the younger man to; things that could please them both with that tongue, hopefully, because he wasn’t about to do anything otherwise. So far Atsushi seemed more than eager, however.

For now he wanted to take it slow. He wanted to give himself to Atsushi, he’d be the other man’s to explore with touches and licks; he saw absolutely no reason to protest to something that made him feel this good.

“Atsushi…” he sighed contently for the nth time as Murasakibara’s tongue licked down to just underneath his pecks, sucking intently. Atsushi still looked fascinated, as if he couldn’t decide whether to feel pleasure or curiosity.

“You’re sensitive, Muro-chin,” he noted. Himuro detected a hint of enjoyment in his boss’ usually bored voice.

“Y-yeah, it’s both a blessing and a curse, believe me,” Himuro replied with a tad bit of sarcasm thrown in. Ignoring this, Atsushi moved up to suckle on the left nipple that had been ignored previously, and Himuro was sure that if people were walking outside in their haste to get home and save what was probably going sour in the their fridge, they would hear him right now.

The last thought suddenly reminded him of the place he and Atsushi were currently making out in. He gained Atsushi’s attention by pushing his head a bit away from his chest. It was a miracle he was able to. Once Murasakibara got his mind set on something he wasn’t easy to distract. Least of all from something he undeniably found quite enjoyable to lick on, Himuro couldn’t help but think, cheeks going impossibly red.

“Atsushi… what about all the cream you prepared in the fridge? And the ice cream, and the milk.”

“Aka-chin said there are emergency batteries for the two big fridges and the freezer,” Murasakibara said with a shrug.

“What about the one fridge here in the café? And the small freezer in the back room?” Himuro asked, performing a vague hand-gesture towards the counter.

“No, not those.”

“So all the cream and ice cream are going to go to waste?”

“It’s not like I’m going to lose a lot of money with just one can of whipped cream and a half-finished tub of ice cream, Muro-chin.”

Murasakibara sounded impatient; hands already back to caressing Himuro’s hips, fingers not so subtly headed for his belt. Himuro didn’t know whether to be concerned or incredibly pleased that his presence seemed to have made Atsushi temporarily forget his usual hunger for treats. Not to mention his dislike for ever letting something he loved to snack on go to waste.

Feeling bold, Himuro wriggled his hips slowly, crotch brushing Atsushi’s as he leaned close to nibble at the giant man’s ear. To Himuro’s immense satisfaction he had noticed a very visible bulge taking form down there. “I know, but… it would be real shame letting it go completely to waste. Wouldn’t it?” he murmured softly, fingers lightly pulling at his newfound lover’s hair. “Especially when I can show you just how many ways you can eat ice cream.”

Murasakibara blinked. “Muro-chin what are you…”

“Ever licked ice cream off a body before, Atsushi?”

“… I’ll go get the ice cream.”

Himuro bit his lip to prevent himself from letting out a giggle he knew he would be ashamed of for the rest of his life.

———

Kagami had just turned off the oven when the entire apartment became pitch black. He let out a (manly) squeak, almost tripping over one of the kitchen chairs and losing he lasagna he and Kuroko had prepared for the last hour. Luckily, Kagami’s balance was not that bad — he thanked his standard LA skateboarding skills — and thus was able to save their food and himself from making a painful impact on the floor.

“Kagami-kun, I think the power is out.”

“Are you _sure_?” Kagami’s voice dripped with sarcasm. He was still embarrassed about the squeak he’d made back there. Kuroko was probably never going to let him live that down. It wasn’t like he was _afraid_ of the dark, okay. He and Tatsuya just found it rather uncomfortable. When they were little and shared a room they would often put the beds close together when they had to go to sleep, because it felt a bit better knowing they were both within reaching distance when it was dark and they couldn’t see a thing.

“Your tone is not appreciated, Kagami-kun.”

“Whatever; don’t move, cuz I can’t see you and I don’t need to barge into you, you’ll go flying into the nearest wall.”

“… was that a jab at my size?”

“No, it was a jab at your weight.”

“Kagami-kun should be careful. I may not be strong, but after having dealt with Aomine-kun most of my life I know my way around big brutes.”

“Okay, okay, relax, I’m just jokin’ with you.”  Kagami placed the lasagna on the counter, which he found after only two tries walking around in the pitch-black kitchen. He then felt around for the cupboards, knowing they had some candles _somewhere_ , but of course he didn’t exactly remember their exact location. He knew where all the cooking equipment was placed in the apartment, but Tatsuya was the one who insisted on putting candles around. Some even made it smell like a flower garden in his room.

Luckily he was able to fish out one of the few candles Tatsuya tended to buy that _didn’t_ smell like roses and lilies. He was also grateful his brother was an organized being by nature and thus kept the matches and candles close together. Soon he was able to locate Kuroko seated in the same chair he’d been in before the light went out indicating he had done as told and not moved.

“Here,” he handed the candle over to Kuroko after finding a couple more. He lighted them up and proceeded to place them around the living room to light up at least one area of the apartment.

Kuroko had moved over by the window, glancing down at the pitch-black street below. He could barely make out anything moving down there. “This must be affecting the entire area,” he mused, glancing behind Kagami who had found his flashlight and was triumphantly holding it up.

“Just in case the candles go out before it comes back on,” he said, before joining Kuroko by the window. “Shit, you’re right. I should probably text Tatsuya.”

“He’s probably locked down there with Murasakibara-kun,” Kuroko said, glancing up at Kagami’s confused face.

“Locked?”

“Murasakibara-kun’s new security system locks the doors automatically at closing hours. He’ll have to dial the password to get out of the café, but seeing as the power is out it probably locked while they were still cleaning up. Otherwise they would have been here by now.”

“Shit, now I definitely need to text him.”

Kuroko watched as Kagami roamed around the room looking for his phone. When he finally located it he tried not to sound too concerned as he asked his brother about how he was doing. He felt his eyebrow twitch at Tatsuya’s vague answer. “ _I’m okay. Trapped right now, but will text you when the power comes back on_ ,” Kagami read with a shake of his head. “What’s with the short reply? He’s trapped in a coffee shop/café. It’s not like he has a lot to do down there besides eating and drinking.”

The look Kuroko got once the words had left his mouth made Kagami raise an eyebrow. Mostly because he didn’t recognize the expression Kuroko was currently sporting and he didn’t know whether this was supposed to worry him or not. Considering it was _Kuroko_ he probably should. Kuroko knew more than anyone around here because of his stupid observation skills. It was frustrating not being aware of what Kuroko was thinking and even more frustrating that he wanted to be able to read the other male so badly without really having any clue as to why.

“I suppose that means we will be having dinner by ourselves,” Kuroko mused, changing topics.

Kagami rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling his stomach twist in a way that made it hard to tell whether he was excited about the prospect of sharing a candle-lit dinner _alone_ with Kuroko or mortified. Probably a mix of both. And no, he did not wish to analyze why. “Yeah, I g-guess so. I’ll get the uh dinner.”

Throughout the ordeal with the candles and the blackout, the lasagna had cooled. Kuroko watched as Kagami served him a good portion — probably more than Kuroko could eat, not really having much of an appetite — before serving himself. Despite how many times he’d seen it Kuroko never quite got over the enormous portions his neighbor could consume.

Kagami dug in with great gusto, as usual. He glanced over at Kuroko on occasion though; glad to see the slight smile forming on the younger man’s lips. “It tastes wonderful,” Kuroko murmured.

“Yeah, well we did a good job,” Kagami grinned, gaining him yet another smile from the man seated across from him.

It had been nice teaching Kuroko, he supposed. The blue haired man was observant by nature so although more advanced cooking was new to him he learned quickly and paid attention. The salad was mostly Kuroko’s doing and the lasagna was mostly Kagami’s, but it was still progress from simply being able to make hard boiled eggs and other egg-themed recipes.

Of course, he would try to forget the nice feeling of Kuroko’s back pressed against his chest as he’d taught the younger man how to chop properly, the way he’d unintentionally been hyper-aware of Kuroko’s warmth and a sudden realization of their height and size difference, because Kuroko was a _friend_ , and these strange thoughts regarding him was getting out of hand. Frankly, he was growing concerned with the amount of time he kept thinking of Kuroko in a completely different light than what he’d done just a couple of weeks ago.

“Kagami-kun?”

Kagami looked up from his now finished portion and swallowed quickly. “Yeah?”

“You’re a good teacher. Thank you.”

He had always had problems taking compliments and it didn’t help that Kuroko was looking at him like _that_. Normally, the younger man’s default face was rather expressionless, but lately Kagami had noticed it wasn’t that Kuroko didn’t show emotions, they were just subtle and became less so the more time they spent together. He wasn’t sure if it was because Kuroko opened after gradually getting more comfortable with people or if he was just getting more and more skilled at reading his best friend.

“Y-yeah, well, you’re not that bad of a student. Tatsuya always gets prissy whenever I try to teach him stuff.” Kagami twirled his fork around on the empty plate and smirked. “Guess you’ll just have to become really great so I can rub it in his face that some people are _actually_ good students.”

Kuroko chuckled as if the image of a fussy, complaining Himuro amused him. Kagami cleared his throat to end the silence and stood up to take the plates off the table. He then headed over the fridge, looking over all the food that was going to get ruined with a grim expression on his face. “Shit, I just remembered I have melting ice cream in the freezer,” Kagami murmured just loud enough for Kuroko to hear, making it hard for the blue haired man to decide whether Kagami was talking to him or not.

“How much?”

“Almost an entire box.”

“What flavor?” Kuroko had removed himself from the table and was now seated in the couch, glancing over at the redheaded man.

“Vanilla.”

Kuroko’s eyes perked up.

———

Murasakibara watched, his eyes filled with pure lust as Himuro’s body writhed under his touch. The small ball of ice cream was melting atop of his chest, the sweet vanilla taste running down his torso and into his navel. Murasakibara moved down to let his tongue trace over the dribbling ice cream. It tasted sweet, but somehow even better with the light taste of Himuro’s own essence running over his tongue along with it. If this was what sex felt like Murasakibara couldn’t help but think he should have tried it a long time ago.

Then again…

Himuro moaned, hips bucking, cock standing proud now that his boxers had been removed. Murasakibara took yet another long lick of the older man’s chest and hummed. Muro-chin was the only one he wanted to do this with, he realized. It hadn’t mattered if someone else had wanted to put ice cream on their body for him to lick off; Muro-chin was special. Beautiful, kind, annoying, but not to the point where Murasakibara didn’t wish to spend every minute of his day with him, and best of all: he wanted Murasakibara just as much as Murasakibara wanted him.

“Cold, _ahh_!” Himuro’s eyes closed as Atsushi placed yet another spoonful of ice cream on top of his stomach, instantly moving down to slowly lick it up. The ice cream inside the tub was close to being completely melted, but he felt they’d made good use of it either way. Atsushi used to spoon to directly scoop some into his mouth, swallowing, before moving down to kiss Himuro’s lips.

“Muro-chin…” He moaned softly, erection straining against his boxers.

He received a pleased hum in response, Himuro’s lips sucking on his lower one intently with full intentions of bruising. As their tongues clashed Himuro moved his hands down to pull on the fabric that stood between him and a completely nude Atsushi. He helped him, threw away the boxers, and then wrapped himself around the smaller male, naked bodies pressing together.

Himuro took a deep breath as they pulled apart, hands moving up from Atsushi’s shoulders to his cheeks. The floor felt a tad bit cold despite the fact that they were laying on a carpet. Himuro smiled. “Can we move to the couch?”

He gained a quick nod, and yelped when Atsushi hoisted him up in his arms. Himuro wrapped his legs instinctively around the bigger man’s waist and gasped as they practically fell into the cushions. At that moment it didn’t occur to either of them that they were about to defile the holy place of which they shared with their friends on a weekly basis. All they focused on were each other.

Murasakibara pulled back enough so that they didn’t stick to one another completely. “We don’t have any lubricant,” Himuro murmured, gaining the giant’s attention. Atsushi had spent enough time with his friends to know how this worked. They couldn’t do any penetration without anything to prep with. Sure, spit and pre-cum _could_ work, but—

Himuro seemed to have taken notice as well and said with a face that was sporting a deep red color: “Uhm, eh, you’re not going to fit without… you know.”

Blushing equally much, Murasakibara cleared his throat and looked away. He knew he had an impressive size and last thing he wanted to do was hurt Muro-chin. He wanted them to feel good together, obviously. Himuro seemed to have made up his mind of what he wanted to do, because before Murasakibara had any chance to answer the older man had reached for his erection and lined it up with his own, pre-cum coating them a little.

The sensitive skin rubbed together as Himuro bucked upwards, causing Murasakibara to moan and bury his face against his lover’s shoulder. “I-is this okay?” Himuro whispered, gasping softly as Atsushi’s hand came down to join his own. He shivered as he felt the giant nod against his shoulder, his long hair tickling his flushed skin. “Atsushi…”

Himuro’s moans filled his ear as his hand came around to squeeze at the smaller male’s ass. He fondled it as he helped pump their cocks together, keeping pace with Himuro’s own hand. It felt so much better than what Murasakibara had expected. Not that he’d had a lot of expectations to begin with — he didn’t use to mull over this kind of stuff — but now that he was here, he just knew he’d never thought he’d feel this good about being with someone.

About being with Muro-chin.

 _His_ Muro-chin.

“Muro-chin… Ah, you’re sticky,” Murasakibara noted as Himuro’s chest brushed his, skin suffering from the aftermath of being covered in sugary ice cream. The older man simply chuckled lovingly, nuzzling into Atsushi’s cheek as the bigger man pulled back his head from his shoulder. Himuro kissed him again soon after. Hot, loving, passionate — everything at once.

For a moment Murasakibara forgot that he was currently helping pumping their dicks together, but Himuro soon reminded him by giving his cock a sensual squeeze. Murasakibara moaned, head throwing back just a little so Himuro could lick up his neck, but came back with a rough kiss that left the smaller body shivering in delight.

They were close. Murasakibara could feel the pressure building up as he rocked faster along with Himuro; fingers still lightly teasing the other man’s entrance, but not pushing in. Himuro whined, one arm thrown around Atsushi’s neck, the other still pumping their erections firmly together.

“I-I’m going to…” Before he managed to finish the sentence Himuro came onto Murasakibara’s stomach, an erotic, loud moan filling the room. The sound itself was almost enough to make Murasakibara come himself, but it was the squeezing of Himuro’s fingers before the smaller man collapsed that did it.

“Muro-chin…” He groaned softly, eyes closing as he rode out his climax against his lover’s hand.

Himuro panted, collapsing on top of the bigger body as Murasakibara allowed himself to fall backwards, completely spent and sweaty all over. Himuro chuckled at the sight, head coming to rest on the younger male’s chest. “Now I’m sticky in a lot of places,” he murmured with a slight blush.

“You’re a pervert, Muro-chin.”

“I have my moments.”

Murasakibara hummed amused and ran his fingers through the other man’s hair. The last candle chose at that moment to end its job, leaving the room in complete darkness again. Himuro sighed in annoyance, pushing his head underneath Murasakibara’s chin and tightening his grip just a little.

“You don’t like the dark, do you, Muro-chin?”

“I’m not _afraid_ of it… but no I don’t like it.”

“Me neither.”

He felt the older man chuckle against his collarbone, kissing it softly afterwards, before he said: “This is the weirdest place I’ve ever done something like that.”

Murasakibara didn’t _mean_ to feel jealous, but it suddenly dawned on him that Muro-chin had done a lot of stuff like that with other people. Stuff that made Himuro look like he’d done tonight. Breathless, flushed, writhing and moaning for more pleasure. It wasn’t like he would hold it against the other male for being sexually active with others, but it still made him feel a strange sense of competitiveness.

“Muro-chin?”

“Hm?” Himuro kissed his cheek and Murasakibara’s stomach coiled with warmth.

“Did I… do okay?”

It was embarrassing to ask, of course it was. He didn’t want to sound insecure and make Himuro realize how utterly inexperienced he was in this area, but he couldn’t keep himself from doing it either. He needed some kind of confirmation that he was at least heading in the right direction, so maybe Muro-chin would be interested in sticking with him. Murasakibara didn’t want Muro-chin to be with anyone else ever again. He wanted the older male to be with him. Only him.

Himuro shifted and Murasakibara hummed pleased when the next kiss was aimed at his mouth, soft and sweet, leaving the purple haired man in a slight haze that he didn’t break out of before Himuro said: “It was more exciting simply pumping my dick along with yours than it ever was doing anything else with anyone of my previous exes.”

He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel ridiculously pleased when hearing that.

“Wanna know why?”

“Hm, why?” Murasakibara mumbled against Himuro’s lips. They were close enough to brush, but far apart enough so they could talk.

 “Because… I _really_ like you.”

Murasakibara wished he could see Himuro’s face right then. Wished he could see those gentle eyes, looking down on him from where he was perched on top of his chest. “… I really like you too, Muro-chin.”

And it really was almost as if some higher power up there had decided to cut him some slack, because shortly after, before he had the chance to deliver his answer, the dimmed light of the café turned on. Himuro squeaked slightly and reached for one of the blankets thrown over the couch to cover them up just in case some passerby decided to take a look through the window. Himuro then realized where exactly they’d just been intimate and found himself blushing again.

Murasakibara seemed to have thought of the same thing. “Muro-chin, I think I need to replace this couch…”

“I… think that’s a good idea.” Himuro bit his lip and glanced down at Murasakibara who still lay sprawled on the couch. “Shower? I’m sure the water is back on in the employee’s changing rooms.”

“It’s gonna be cramped, but I’m sticky, so okay.”

Himuro simply smiled.

———

“Wait, so you’ve only dated one guy your entire life?” Kagami released the spoon in his mouth with an audible pop. They were almost at the bottom — thanks to Kagami, _not_ Kuroko — and had talked throughout the entire ordeal about everything and nothing. Mostly basketball, of course, that’s where they always started, but most often it would lead to personal things, such as their childhood, particularly Kuroko’s middle school days so Kagami could get as much dirt on the rainbow bunch as possible.

Humming, Kuroko twirled the spoon around in his fingers, so full he wasn’t even considering using it any more. “You sound surprised, Kagami-kun. Did you expect me to be the player type? I doubt I have those characteristics.”

“Well, _no_ , but you’re nice enough.” Kagami shrugged. “Just thought maybe you’d been with a couple of people.”

“Well, I have not.” Kuroko copied Kagaim’s shrug from before and said: “I had one boyfriend back in college, but otherwise I have been fine with being single all my life. I really have never seen the point in looking for a partner when most good things in life tend to come along when you least expect it.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow, chin resting in the palm of his hand as he licked his way around the spoon, before using it to point in Kuroko’s direction. “ _Now_ , now I get it. Damn, I shouldn’t have been surprised.”

Kuroko frowned. “I don’t know whether to feel offended or not by that.”

That comment gained him a snicker from Kagami who shook his head and nudged the younger man lightly in the shoulder. “I’m joking with you, idiot.”

Somehow along the way their feet had gotten tangled under the blanket they had wrapped between them, but it felt too comfortable to pull back so they’d let it stay that way, Kagami attempting to ignore how his heart seemed to flutter whenever he thought about it. Okay, so _maybe, possibly_ he had started to consider Kuroko in a different light. In a light that perhaps was leaning a bit away from the _just_ best friendship thing.

But that was easy to ignore. It really was.

Mostly because Kagami had never felt this way towards a male before, so he wasn’t sure if he was really _feeling it_ or if he was just closer to Kuroko than he’d been with anyone else, because even his previous girlfriends hadn’t made him feel this comfortable. In fact, no one but his own brother had made him feel this comfortable, which again made him really confused what exactly he was feeling towards Kuroko.

“Kagami-kun you are zooming out on me.”

“Hah? Oh, I’m sorry. Uh— got lost in thought there.” Was he blushing? He was pretty sure he was.

“I think we are out of ice cream.”

Kagami glanced down at the tub that now had a small layer of melted ice cream at the very bottom. He licked his lips and put it away, stretching with a yawn. “Man, now I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow.”

“Everyone in the building has to go grocery shopping tomorrow, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko leaned back against the cushions, still twirling the spoon in his fingers. “Takao-kun will most likely drag me over tomorrow. You could join us if you wish.”

“Are we really making grocery shopping a friends outing?”

“Only after blackouts. It’s mostly to protect each other seeing as everyone else in the area are also going and we are stronger in numbers.”

“… this sounds like Black Friday in the US all over again.” Kagami rubbed his temple. Not his fondest memories and yet Tatsuya _always_ managed to drag him with. Every single year.

“What is Black Friday?”

“What’s going to start World War III at one point in the future. Forget I mentioned it, but sure I’m in.”

Just then the light flickered, before coming back full force. Kagami sighed out in pure relief, and glared when Kuroko had the audacity to give him a smug smile. He wasn’t scared! He’d just been _uncomfortable_. Well, actually, being with Kuroko had made the entire experience anything but, so he supposed it hadn’t really been a problem. Again, whatever was developing between them was really confusing.

Kuroko offered to help with the dishes, and even if Kagami insisted he could do it so that he didn’t have to stay, his protest fell on deaf ears. So when Himuro came through the door they were lined up by the kitchen counter, just finishing up the last portion of the dirty plates with aprons wrapped around their waists.

“Hey, bro! Good to see you survived the blackout.” Kagami glanced up from where he was scrubbing his favorite pan and found his brother leaning against their door with a dreamy smile on his face. The redhead raised an eyebrow, before exchanging glances with Kuroko who blinked. “Uh…”

“Himuro-san, are you all right?” Kuroko asked carefully.

“Hm? Oh, yes, I’m fantastic!” Himuro suddenly perked up, throwing his coat onto the nearest chair as he practically performed a pirouette around the kitchen. Kagami’s eyebrow just continued to rise as he stopped in front of them, gleaming like the sun itself.

“Oh god,” Kagami murmured horrified. “Kise has infected him.”

“I am Kise-kun’s roommate. If he was infectious I would have caught that a long time ago.”

“Fair point.”

Kagami fixed his gaze back to Himuro who was now leaning against the kitchen table with the same disturbingly dreamy smile playing on his lips. As Tatsuya’s brother he felt he should have seen this expression on his face before, considering they’d grown up together and they knew each other like the back of their hands, but this was completely new to him. Frankly, he was getting slightly concerned.

He frowned, once more exchanging a glance with Kuroko before looking back at his disturbingly happy brother. “Are you _sure_ you’re okay, Tatsuya?”

“Yes, I’m absolutely perfect, you guys have nooooo idea, but I’m also tired so I’m going to hit the hay, okay? But you two lovebirds, have fun!” With yet another perplexing smile Himuro twirled around and practically skipped over to his room. Kagami was too fascinated by his brother’s behavior to react to the lovebirds comment.

“Himuro-san seemed… happy.”

“What the hell happened? Free cake?”

“I seriously doubt Himuro-san would be this ecstatic about free pastries, Kagami-kun.”

“Then I’m lost.”

Kuroko felt too sympathetic to break it to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun, eh? ;) please gimme kudos/comments darlings!


	7. The One Where Kagami Screws Up

It took Kise approximately five seconds of looking at Himuro before he gaped and pointed an accusing finger in his new best friend’s direction. The other guys — this time including Momoi, Sakurai, Kiyoshi and Riko — were all seated around their usual table, but had barely noticed Kise’s presence until the blond model loudly exclaimed: “Himurocchi, you had _sex_!”

There was an awkward pause in which every set of eyes turned to look at Himuro who started making a mental list of what he could possibly do to end his life and get him out of this situation, but additionally he started preparing for many painful ways he could kill his best friend. “What are you talking about?” he said, nervous laughter escaping his mouth as he ignored how suddenly the room turned ten times hotter.

Just then Murasakibara came out from the kitchen, five mugs of coffee balanced on a tray. Kise looked at his old classmate, then back to Himuro, then back to Murasakibara, then back to Himuro again, before he pointed at the purple haired giant, mouth dropping for the second time. “You had sex with _Murasakibaracchi_!”

No sooner had the words left Kise’s mouth before Murasakibara choked on his own spit and almost lost the tray of coffee he’d been carrying. He would have if not for Kagami shooting his hand out to save the day, which was a miracle he even managed considering the news he’d just received.

“How the hell do you know that?” Himuro wouldn’t say he _shrieked_ but his voice was definitely a few octaves too high.

“Well for starters you just confirmed it!” Kise’s finger was back at pointing at Himuro.

“Wait, hold the fuck up! Is it true? Did you have sex with Murasakibara?” Kagami’s eyes had turned a few sizes too wide as he glanced from his brother to the purple giant who seemingly could not decide whether the situation he and Muro-chin were currently in was a bad one or something he could ignore like he did with the rest of the situations he didn’t know how to handle.

“Uh…”

“Holy shit, you took Murasakibara’s virginity!” Aomine burst out laughing, almost falling off his chair in the process, and didn’t stop even when Momoi started hitting his head to make him cut it out.

Himuro put his hands in front of his face as Takao turned to look at Kiyoshi, Sakurai, Kuroko and Riko. “Okay, Kiyoshi, Sakurai, Aida-san, pay up! Kuro-chan we’re sharing the profits fifty-fifty.”

Kagami whipped his head to look at Kuroko with the most accusing expression he’d even worn in the younger man’s presence. “You _bet_ on this?” he asked loudly in disbelief.

Kuroko shrugged. “Not really. Takao-kun asked what I believed regarding the matter, I told him and I suppose he saw that as an opportunity in getting me involved in the bet.”

“There was a _bet_ that I and Atsushi would _do_ it?” Himuro had gone from looking embarrassed beyond belief to something that seemed like a mix between shock, disbelief and simply being offended.

“Actually, the bet was that you guys would end up together, but sex kind of counts.” Takao shrugged, grinning as Sakurai, Kiyoshi and Riko all handed him their share with sour expressions.

“Tatsuya, what the hell, why didn’t you _tell_ me?” Kagami was still shaking his head, not really sure if he believed it to be true. _Murasakibara_? He was aware Tatsuya usually dated guys bigger than himself, but he had never even suspected that he’d go for someone who was dumber than _he_ was, which he supposed was insulting to both himself _and_ Murasakibara, but it was still an undeniable fact.

Glaring, Himuro crossed his arms firmly in front of his chest and said: “I don’t have to tell you anything. It literally happened two days ago. Atsushi and I haven’t even worked out all the details ourselves yet. This is a private thing! I can’t believe we’re even discussing this!”

“It’s just the biggest thing that has happened around here since Aomine knocked up that chick though!” Takao reminded him with a mischievous grin that Himuro wanted to reach out and wipe clean, before throwing the shorter man through that window. Actually, they could just jump to the window throwing. No need to waste time.

“Himuro-san,” Kuroko spoke up, hand having reached out to place itself on top of the older man’s. Once he had Himuro’s attention he sent him a soft smile. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you and Murasakibara-kun.”

Himuro’s expression turned soft as he took Kuroko’s hands in his. “ _Thank you_ , Kuroko-kun. I’m glad someone around here isn’t a complete asshole.”

“Himurocchi, I didn’t mean to be rude! I was just in shock!” Kise whined, throwing himself down next to his friend, arms wrapping around his shoulders in an apologetic hug. Himuro simply huffed, and didn’t look all too forgiving so Kise pushed on. “I’m really happy for you _and_ Murasakibaracchi! You both deserve happiness! Especially Murasakibaracchi, I was afraid he would die alone!”

“… Thanks, Kise-chin.”

“You can do sarcasm?” Aomine raised an eyebrow.

“You’d probably notice if you weren’t so busy banging people every night, Mine-chin,” Murasakibara said with a shrug, before returning back to the kitchen. He couldn’t care less whether everyone knew about him and Muro-chin. If anything it made him glad that everyone was aware that the older man was with him and not Ken the American or any other sleazy ex of Himuro’s that would show up to attempt to take him away.

Aomine glanced after him, eyes slightly wide. “He does sass too? Since when?”

Himuro smiled smugly. “I taught him well.” He felt Kise chuckle against his back, and proceeded to shake him off to point his finger to the model’s nose. “ _You_ , stop those creepy sex senses and never announce them ever again or your hair is not going to be blond for very long.”

“Is that a threat, Himurocchi? Are you challenging me to a hair product duel?”

“What the hell is a hair product duel?” Aomine exchanged glances with Kiyoshi who merely served him a shrug of his shoulders and those goodhearted smiles that made the cop wonder how Kiyoshi Teppei had possibly decided to hang with them considering he had the heart of a saint and the rest of the bunch here were mediocre at best. Except Tetsu, but he didn’t really count, considering he’d been stuck with them since middle school.

Himuro shook his head with a laugh and pushed Kise back. “Not yet. Just keep those creepy senses to yourself and we’re good.”

“Ki-chan is a sex psychic. Next you know he’ll be joining the ex-men,” Momoi said with a slight giggle.

“You make it sound like a bad thing!”

Kagami watched as the topic was changed in front of him, while he himself was still processing that his brother had fucked Murasakibara and that they supposedly were a thing now. Of course _anything_ was better than Ken, and that Troy dude Tatsuya had been driving around with back when Kagami was in college — guy used more gel than the environment could provide now that was for sure — but that still didn’t make Tatsuya’s relationship to Murasakibara anymore believable.

He just couldn’t _see_ it.

“Kagami-kun, you okay?” He felt Kuroko lightly tugging on his sleeve and glanced down to meet a pair of deep blue eyes.

“I’m processing,” the redhead admitted.

“You didn’t understand from Himuro-san’s odd behavior at the night of the blackout that something like this had happened?” Kuroko shook his head, frowning up at his best friend. “Kagami-kun really is an idiot.”

“Wait a fucking minute, that’s a not fa—” Kagami stopped himself mid-sentence, eyebrows furrowing together as he suddenly remembered something. Tatsuya and Murasakibara had been stuck _here_ at the night of the blackout, and yesterday Tatsuya had been with him all day, which _meant_ … Eyes going wide, Kagami quickly got up and uttered a slight noise in disgust. “Tatsuya! Please tell me you idiots didn’t have sex in the _café,_ you _work_ here!”

There was a moment of complete silence between the group, Himuro’s face going completely red by his brother’s words as he coughed into his hand. “Uh… we replaced the couch this morning?”

Takao fell off his chair because he was laughing so hard.

———

Kagami wasn’t even really sure _why_ he was upset. It wasn’t as if there was an unspoken rule that brothers had to talk about relationships as soon as they happened. In fact, Kagami supposed he should really just give Tatsuya a pat on the back and say “good one, bro” and be done with it, because he was getting frustrated without really having a good reason for it. Okay, so maybe it was the fact of that Tatsuya tended to jump into things a bit too quickly. His brother was the crash and burn type that played with fire and often needed to be stitched back together again when he’d gotten burnt.

Usually, Kagami wasn’t worried about Tatsuya. He’d seen his older brother on his worst, he’d seen him so down in the dumps that he had been genuinely afraid that he was going to lose him, but somehow — together — they always managed to get Tatsuya back on his feet. He also knew his brother was grateful that he had always been there, that even through tense periods where they’d argued and refused to talk to each other for months, it had always worked itself out. The last year Tatsuya had only dated one person. His name was Arty and he was actually the one guy Kagami had ever thought of was kind of cool and could possibly gain his brotherly blessings.

Unfortunately, Arty was… younger. A lot younger. A senior in High School, in fact, and the only guy their father had caught kissing Tatsuya, so the relationship had been torn in half when both of them had been outed at the same time. Arty’s parents were — if possible — worse than their own dad. Tatsuya had been down for months, which Kagami had understood. It was bad enough that his sexuality had been discovered in that horrible manner, but their father’s reaction, plus the fact that Arty completely shoved him away had not done wonders to the already fucked up situation.

It didn’t matter that they were adults and no longer lived at home, because they both worked in the same neighborhood. Their father had made Tatsuya’s life a nightmare and Taiga had been the one to pick it up, hence why they’d decided to leave in the first place.

Tatsuya wasn’t a masochist, but he was known for throwing himself into relationships without considering whether it was a good idea to move so fast or not. Truly, it was the only thing Kagami felt he did better than his brother, the only form for situation where Tatsuya’s head wasn’t cool enough and everything in him was on fire. For Kagami, who cared about him too much and _really_ wanted him to start living his life, this whole Murasakibara thing had just progressed so fast that it just couldn’t _not_ worry him.

Of course it didn’t help that he’d woken up in the middle of the night to hear moans from the _other_ wall — not Aomine’s — and it didn’t help that he had numerous earplugs to use. Once he’d already pictured what was going on in Tatsuya’s bedroom he felt like he was never going to recover.

It was with these fuming thoughts he found himself making breakfast seven in the morning — even though it was his day off — because he needed a distraction so he wouldn’t think over the fact that the giant purple weirdo was currently in their apartment. Rubbing his temple, Kagami gritted his teeth. Worst was Tatsuya hadn’t even asked him if it was okay! They had lived a couple of years apart — especially one year when Kagami went to college and Tatsuya had disappeared for almost all those twelve months with one of his boyfriends at the time; it had taken Tatsuya a lot of months for Kagami to forgive him for that — but now they were roommates again.

Tatsuya should’ve warned him he’d be having company dammnit!

He felt his eyebrow twitch as his brother emerged from his bedroom, a shirt that was _way_ too big to be his covering his body. _Thankfully_ , there were also boxers under there, but the image still made Kagami cringe due to the reminder of what he’d heard last night.

“Morning!” Tatsuya practically sung as he approached his brother.

“Uh… morning,” Kagami murmured, rubbing his eye, suddenly very aware how tired he was. It had been impossible to sleep when all he could think about was his brother getting laid in the room next to him and how that image again had made him so uncomfortable he didn’t know what to do with himself. Worst was, he _knew_ he was overreacting, but he just couldn’t help it.

Himuro glanced at him, head tilted as he took in his little brother’s eyes. They were red with bangs underneath. “Taiga, you look like shit. Didn’t you sleep at all last night?” he asked him, clearly confused considering Kagami hadn’t gone to bed late as far as Himuro remembered.

“Was kind of hard to sleep after hearing you and the purple plum in there going at it,” Kagami scoffed, glad that he caused Tatsuya’s cheeks to flare up.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Himuro sheepishly laughed and glanced away. “Sorry about that. We’ll be out of your hair soon. I promised Atsushi I’d let him show me around where he went to middle school with the others. Though I think he just wants to go to all the candy stores on our way there to be honest.”

There was a fond smile on Himuro’s lips. A smile Kagami recognized all too well. His brother was in too deep that was for sure and it made Kagami’s chest constrict with concern. He really wanted Himuro find happiness, as his brother there was nothing he wanted more, but everything was going so fast. Years of experiencing his brother breaking down and dealing with mental issues because of his tendency to yearn for something neither of his former crushes had been able to give had made Kagami overly paranoid.

“You guys have a day off?” Kagami noted absently.

“Yeah, it’s Sakurai and Fukui’s shifts. I have mine in the afternoon so we’ll be back by then.”

“Right.”

As Himuro moved around in the kitchen Kagami finished up the last pancake and moved it over to the impressive stack he’d built since this morning. He then sat down, inwardly sighed and tried to reason with himself that maybe this was it. Murasakibara was annoying, he was selfish and he sometimes had the mentality of a five year old, but Kuroko liked him so he couldn’t be _all_ that bad.

Frowning, Kagami watched as said purple giant finally emerged from the bedroom, shirtless and with sweatpants hanging low on his hips. It shouldn’t have annoyed him how comfortable the guy was already, but it did.

“Morning, Atsushi!” Himuro smiled.

“You weren’t there, Muro-chin. It got cold.” Murasakibara leaned on Himuro; arms wrapping tightly around his new boyfriend and drawing him close so he could nuzzle into the older man’s dark hair.

Kagami felt like gagging. He had to find someone to date himself just to inflict this misery on Tatsuya as a form for revenge.

“Kaga-chin.”

It was hard to tell whether it was a greeting or just an acknowledgement that he was currently present, but he answered nonetheless. “Uh… hey…”

“Taiga made pancakes. Have a seat.” Himuro gestured towards the closest chair, before he bowed down to look through one of the cupboards, mumbling something about finding the syrup.

Murasakibara did as told. Kagami almost choked on his juice as he noticed the giant’s purple eyes wander to his older brother’s behind. Kagami bristled. “Please don’t leer at my brother’s ass in front of me, Murasakibara. It was enough listening to you two going at it all night,” he grumbled, his expression probably giving away just how unimpressed he was with the purple haired guy being here in the first place. They’d never gotten along and Kagami really didn’t fee like starting now.

“Why? You leer at Kuro-chin’s ass all the time.”

This time Kagami did choke. Himuro straightened up, raising an eyebrow in pure interest. “He _does_?” he asked Murasakibara, completely ignoring the fact that Kagami was coughing like a maniac.

“Yeah. Haven’t you noticed, Muro-chin?” Murasakibara blinked drowsily up at his newfound love. “It’s really annoying.”

Himuro chuckled and leaned down to kiss Murasakibara’s forehead. “You think _everything’s_ annoying,” he pointed out with a gentle smile, before turning over to his brother who had finally stopped coughing, but was seemingly processing how someone like Murasakibara could’ve possibly figured him out. Himuro’s expression changed drastically to one of a sadist. Kagami felt like digging himself an early grave. “ _So_ , Taiga does this mean my little brother has a little _crush_?”

Face red with anger, Kagami pointed his finger in Himuro’s direction. “ _No_ , because your sweetheart over there is a liar.”

“Atsushi doesn’t lie. He’s too lazy to.”

“Muro-chin’s right.”

Murasakibara had served himself a couple of pancakes accepting the syrup Himuro absently handed to him and then proceeded to go make syrup with pancakes instead of pancakes with syrup.

Kagami glared, temper rising. “You’re insane! Why the hell would I look at _Kuroko’s_ —” He blushed brightly and didn’t finish the sentence, but simply stood up and left the table to head for his room instead.

“Someone’s got their panties in a twist. We were just teasing, Taiga. Relax.” Himuro frowned.

Twirling around, Kagami’s face had turned even redder. “Yeah, well _maybe_ I’m a bit grumpy because two horny rabbits were going at it in the middle of the night and gave me nightmares to last me a lifetime.”

“I said I was _sorry_.” Himuro rolled his eyes.

“Yeah well, sorry doesn’t quite cover the unflattering mental images of you and _that_.” Kagami made a hand gesture towards Murasakibara who stopped eating so he could send him a deadly glare. He must have chosen the right insult, because usually Murasakibara didn’t bother with mean comments enough to lift his head.

“Don’t talk to him like that!”

Kagami could tell by the way his brother’s hands formed to fists and the way he approached him that he was trotting into dangerous territory, but he didn’t care. Himuro had always been like this when he got a new flame and Kagami _always_ had to pick up the pieces he left behind, but _not_ this time. He was not about to pretend that he was okay with the speed Himuro was moving in. Now when they’d _just_ gotten their lives back on track.

“This is how I always talk to him.” Kagami crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Yes, and I want you to stop! What’s gotten into you? Are you mad because I didn’t _tell_ you?” Himuro threw his arms out in frustration. Usually his brother was calm when they fought — it was one of the most frustrating things about him, because while Kagami’s temper was legendary, Himuro’s calm composure was just as famous — but Kagami must have hit a sore spot to get such a reaction.

“It’s not about the fact that you didn’t tell me.”

“Really? Because you seemed pretty damn pissed yesterday when Kise figured us out.” Himuro had placed his hands to his hips, eyes narrowed.

“Yeah, I was at first, but hey it’s not like you have to tell your brother everything that’s going on with your love life, you know, except for the fact when he always gets involved when they _end_.”

Himuro’s eyes widened slightly, before his expression twisted into one Kagami had only seen a couple of times. When Himuro was completely and utterly furious. “Are you comparing Atsushi to everything I got involved with _back there_?” He asked, voice growing louder as got further up into Kagami’s face.

“I’m _implying_ that you _always_ do this, Tatsuya! You jump into the closest thing that you can come to a boyfriend and you crash and you burn, and _I_ have to pick you back up every single time. I’m not just some shoulder to cry on, you know.” Kagami’s own voice had grown loud now as he glared back at his older brother who at this point probably looked younger considering Kagami loomed over him. “Did it ever occur to you that I don’t like getting you out of bed in the morning and make you food and do your laundry while you can’t sleep and won’t talk? That I hate seeing you like that?”

“This isn’t like that! I can’t believe you’re bringing that up _now_!” Himuro sounded more frustrated than angry now, practically hurt, but Kagami wasn’t about to let him guilt-trip him this time. “What I have with Atsushi is nothing like that, Taiga!”

“How would I know that, you don’t talk to me about it, and even if you did I wouldn’t believe you!”

“Fuck you!”

“Whatever.”

With an angry snort, Kagami marched towards the door to the entrance and slammed it shut as he exited the apartment. It was such a stupid thing to fight about, something they could’ve easily talked about in a calm manner, but currently Kagami was too angry — after years of built up frustration — to care. Without really thinking it over he had grabbed the door to Kuroko’s apartment and thrown it open, desperate to seek comfort in someone who didn’t make his life ten times harder than it had to be.

What he _hadn’t_ considered was that in the safety of his own home Kuroko might not have been wearing as many clothes as he _would_ have if he knew he was having a guest. Kagami stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes landed on a half-naked Kuroko who had stopped mid-motion of taking his sweater on, but his pants were nowhere in sight, leaving Kuroko pretty much only in a couple of tight-fitting boxers.

Kagami let go of a slight shriek and quickly covered his face with his hands, feeling his entire face explode in a red color. “Shit! I’m sorry, Kuroko— I-I didn’t mean—I should’ve _knocked_ —I’m—Shit, shit, shit, I’m really sorry!” he blabbed, resisting the urge to flail with his hands considering he pretty much needed them up in his face to keep himself from looking again. Admittedly though, the view had appealed to him far more than he had wanted it to.

He heard shuffling and a door closing, leaving him an awkward silence that somehow felt ten times worse than his traumatic night with his brother’s sex sounds. He didn’t dare to move. Not even when he heard the door slowly open again and the sound of Kuroko clearing his throat. Kagami swallowed. “C-Can I…?”

“Yes.”

Slowly, the redhead lowered his hands and felt his chest constrict considerably as he gazed on Kuroko’s flushed face. He had gotten more used to the fact that Kuroko tended to display more emotions in front of him, but looking embarrassed was not exactly something anyone was comfortable with, so he doubted Kuroko would have been able to shield it away even if he’d wanted to.

“Listen, Kuroko, I-I’m really sorry. I should’ve knocked, I was just so _pissed_ because of Tatsuya a-and I-I wanted to uh talk to you. I’m really, really sorry. You can hit me if you want. Just please spare my ribs I think I have bruises on them left from yesterday.” Kagami bit his lip, wondering why he always got himself into these situations. This is why people called him an idiot, and truthfully he couldn’t help but agree at the moment.

“Kagami-kun, it’s all right. Really, I’m not mad.” Kuroko’s cheeks were back to their normal fair-skinned color as the blue haired man cleared his throat again. “You wished to talk to me?”

At least Kuroko wasn’t angry for that little incident. Kagami drew a lengthy breath and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He was about to ask if they could sit down — even though a part of him felt like he should excuse himself because fuck it felt wrong to ask Kuroko if he could vent to him when he’d just walked in on him half-naked — but stopped himself when he heard a bark. He froze, senses suddenly fairly alert.

“What was that?” he asked.

Kuroko didn’t even blink at him. “I didn’t hear anything, Kagami-kun.”

There was a bark once more, and this time Kagami narrowed his eyes in Kuroko’s direction. “C’mon _that_. D-d-do you have a dog in here?” All thoughts of embarrassment were quickly replaced by utter terror by the idea of a canine being within a ten-meter radius of where he was standing. Kagami quickly whipped his head from side to side.

“I seriously do not know what you are talking about, Kagami-kun.” The younger man reached for a teapot that Kagami vaguely remembered Kuroko telling him his grandmother had given him a long time ago. “Tea?”

More barks were heard and this time Kagami _knew_ Kuroko was lying, because yeah he was crazy mad at his brother and at himself for being an oversensitive idiot, but he wasn’t crazy enough that he heard dogs barking inside his head okay. He pointed an accusing finger at his best friend. “You have a dog in here!”

Seemingly understanding that he was not going to be able to convince Kagami he was hearing things, Kuroko sighed in defeat. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest and said: “You can’t tell anyone.”

Kagami felt his entire body freeze in pure anxiety. He knew he had a phobia left from his childhood — an irrational fear, especially for someone of his size and strength — but it didn’t help knowing he was yet again overreacting. The thought of a _dog_ being so close, probably hiding behind that door where he could hear the barks getting louder made him cower behind the sofa in fear.

Kuroko watched him. Kagami couldn’t tell whether the blue haired man was lightly amused or simply confused by his sudden decision to hide behind his furniture. “Kagami-kun, he is a puppy. Granted, he will most likely get fairly big when he’s older… but for now he is very small and very much harmless.”

“I _don’t_ like dogs!” Kagami snapped from behind his hiding place, eyeing the door to Kuroko’s bathroom. Whatever beast was in there had started scratching on the door while whimpering.

“He is sweet. Let me show you.”

“W-w-w-what are you doing! Don’t open the door!” Kagami yelled in protest, but to no avail. Kuroko had already turned the doorknob and out came a bouncy little furball with big blue eyes and a white and gray coat of fur.

Instantly — almost as if the beast could _smell_ fear — it pointed its nose in Kagami’s direction. Said redhead protested loudly and ran over to the kitchen as he dog headed towards him. Kuroko decided to take mercy on him and lifted the pup into his arms before Kagami could be reached. “Kagami-kun, I swear he is not going to hurt you.”

“I _don’t like dogs_!” Kagami repeated idly.

“It’s just a small one,” Kuroko pointed out.

“Small, big, fur, non-fur, they’re all the same.” Crimson eyes narrowed towards the puppy whose tongue was sticking out. He then found himself blinking as he got a better look at the canine’s eyes. Wait a second… He glanced back up at Kuroko who was now making a face that should honestly not affect him as much as it did. They looked… a lot alike, which was disturbing, because Kuroko was cute, and incredibly attractive while that _mutt_ was— shit, he’d just admitted to himself that he found Kuroko attractive. He was just getting screwed over and over again today wasn’t he?

He almost whimpered when Kuroko’s eyes somehow appeared ten times bigger along with the dog who seemingly had decided to copy his owner’s actions. Their combined puppy-dog eyes felt like knives boring into his soul. Kagami sweated under their gaze. “Please don’t say that, Kagami-kun. He’s really cute. If you give him a chance I’m sure you’ll be great friends.”

“Don’t look at me like that!” The redhead protested.

For once in his life he was _glad_ to hear Kise’s voice through the door, followed by the blond bursting it with a brilliant smile on his face. It quickly dimmed at the sight of him. Kagami knew right there and then that the fact that Kise and Himuro shared _everything_ was becoming a real pain in the ass. Kise crossed his arms, eyes angry. “Kagamicchi, what the _hell_ is your problem? Himurocchi texted me a few minutes ago, what’s the _deal_ with you and— AH! It’s a puppy! Kurokocchi, there’s a puppy!”

Kise bounced over to his roommate, eyes gleaming happily at the sight of the animal in Kuroko’s arms. Kagami thanked the heavens that Kise had an attention span of a teaspoon.

“Kise-kun, I found him outside. Can he stay?” Kuroko looked up at the blond who also fell victim to a combined puppy-dog eye attack. Kagami knew Kise wasn’t going to last for one second; the model adored his childhood friend too much and the puppy didn’t exactly help his case.

“Aw, Kurokocchi is so cute!” Kise cooed as he threw his arms around his roommate to rub their cheeks together. Kuroko looked mildly disturbed yet also pleased. Kagami had gotten a glimpse of his best friend’s sly nature before, but it never ceased to fascinate him. Kuroko had Kise wrapped around his finger.

In the end, Kuroko politely asked Kise to let go and although with a slight whine Kise did as told. Kise then stroked the puppy over the head, grinning widely. “He really is precious,” he murmured gently, before his happy demeanor faltered. “Kurokocchi, you know we’re not allowed to have pets. Akashicchi is very strict about that kind of stuff.”

Kagami sent a thankful thought Akashi’s way. He may seem like a crazy lunatic, but at least his decisions regarding the apartment complex weren’t half-bad.

“I know… but he was all alone.” Kuroko rubbed the dog behind his ear.

Kise must have noticed what Kagami had just a couple of minutes ago, because he suddenly let go of an excited coo. “Ah! Kurokocchi he has the same _eyes_ as you! Man, I can’t throw out a dog that looks like Kurokocchi, that just feels _wrong_.” Kise frowned, patting his chin with his index finger. “I guess we could hide him. I mean, Akashicchi is never around anyway. If we got everyone to stay quiet about it… then again, Akashicchi always seem to know _everything_.”

Kise and Kuroko sighed in unison, one louder than the other, but definitely in-sync. Kagami raised an eyebrow. Something told him Akashi’s all-knowing tendencies weren’t too popular with his old teammates. Clicking his tongue, Kagami dared to slip down from the counter, though he still eyed the dog in Kuroko’s arm with great suspicion. “Then it’s settled. You should get rid of it, before Akashi does. I’m sure you can find a home to it or something, just please keep it away from me.”

“Kagamicchi, you’re just brutal today, aren’t you?” Kise raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him and Kagami felt guilt gnaw on his chest. Right. He’d almost forgotten Kise had been about to confront him about Tatsuya. “What do you have against your brother being happy and puppies?”

“I have nothing against my brother being happy, Kise. Stay out of it, okay?” Kagami grumbled, rubbing his temple. “And if you want to know, I had a very _unpleasant_ experience with a dog as a kid. I don’t like them. They don’t like me.”

“He seems to like you just fine, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko held the puppy out towards him as it let go off an excited bark.

Kagami was out the door before Kise and Kuroko knew what happened.

———

Kagami had gone over to the coffee shop, knowing Tatsuya wouldn’t be there before much later, which gave him the opportunity to think through how he was going to deal with his brother when he saw him again. He found Midorima in his usual spot on the couch, reading on what appeared to be a newspaper. They greeted each other with mutual nods, before Kagami slumped down and let go of a lengthy sigh.

He actually hadn’t _thought_ Midorima would speak to him, but the green haired man apparently got annoyed with his sighing really quickly. He turned towards Kagami and with an eyebrow that was twitching with annoyance said: “Whatever it is that’s bothering you, please try to mull over with without making sounds.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow. “What’s your problem?”

“I believe I told you it was your sighing.”

“Yeah, well I’m going through some shit right now. I can’t really control it.”

“Do you mean the fact that you got mad for your brother over nothing significant?” Midorima clicked his tongue, and glanced at Kagami from the corner of his eye, giving him that _look_ that always made Kagami wonder what exactly he could do to ruin his life so he would never look that superior ever again.

“Hey bug off, you don’t know a single thing about what I’ve dealt with and what _he’s_ dealt with before coming here.” Kagami glared, before he suddenly blinked confused. “Wait, how the fuck do you know about this?”

“We live in an apartment complex, Kagami. The walls might be thick, but Kise complaining to Takao in the hallway when I take out the trash is not a rare occurrence.” Midorima adjusted his glasses. “Consider that you’ve been here for months you should know that Kise, Takao, Kuroko, your brother, as well as Momoi, Koganei-san, Mibuchi-san and Izuki-san _talk_.”

“… huh.”

“And trust me when I say _everything_ and that it is the most annoying fact around here except for Kise and Aomine trying to get to each other through sex with strangers.” Midorima rolled his eyes slightly as if the mere thought of his old classmates’ idiocy was a tragedy to the entire human population.

“I don’t care if they talk or not. You don’t know half of it so shut up.” Kagami huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

This time it was Midorima who emitted a long sigh. He folded the paper and put it away. Kagami suddenly felt mildly disturbed Midorima was even talking to him. He doubted the two of them had ever had a conversation with none of the others around. “Is that so? I know for a fact that you are judging Murasakibara and your brother’s ability to handle himself on a poor level.”

“I _said_ —”

“What are you worried about? That Murasakibara will leave your brother broken hearted. Frankly, as Murasakibara friends, the logical thing — judging by your brother’s history of relationships and Murasakibara’s lack thereof — would be us being worried about him, not your brother.”

Kagami didn’t know what surprised him more, the fact that Midorima just admitted to having friends or that he was concerned for _Murasakibara’s_ sake. Of course, he didn’t _sound_ concerned, but his words said otherwise.

“Yeah, well, Tatsuya may be older, but he’s been through a lot of crap and I’m just worried he’s going to throw himself into something that he’s going to regret. He always does this. Jumps into shit, doesn’t talk to me about what he’s dealing with until he’s stuck in his bed for weeks at a time, refusing to do anything but lie around and hate himself.” Kagami hadn’t _meant_ to vent to Midorima, but suddenly everything came rushing out and at least the green haired man wasn’t part of the gossip brigade that apparently roamed the halls of their building.

“And your solution to your concerns was to have a fight?”

“Yes! Wait— no, that. Okay wipe that smug look off your face, four-eyes!”

“Kagami, I realize this may be a new concept for you, but communication could help you a long way.”

Kagami’s bristled, hands urging to punch the glasses off Midorima’s face, but refrained seeing as Fukui may be a laid-back waiter, but violence kind of had to leave the coffee shop. He was also pretty sure Kuroko would have a problem with him actually punching one of his former teammates despite the fact that Midorima was the one he got along with the least.

“I didn’t come here to get chewed off by you, Midorima.” Kagami growled. “Tatsuya’s mad, Kuroko’s got a _dog_ —”

“Kuroko has a dog?” Midorima frowned, lips pursing. “Akashi’s policies _clearly_ forbid any pets in our building. Something Kuroko should be well-aware of.”

It was at that moment Kagami realized he might have made a huge mistake. This was confirmed the next day when he was making breakfast by himself, or he _had_ made breakfast by himself, but then Aomine had come through the door asking him for a beer and Kagami was way too upset over his brother to ask him to fuck off and tell him he was going to regret having beer for breakfast. Tatsuya had not come home last night, meaning he was probably staying at Murasakibara’s place and most likely still pissed.

Kuroko had come bursting through the door with a whole new expression on his face, a mix between anger and hurt that made Kagami’s heart drop. “Kagami-kun, how could you!” That sound alone made Kagami’s entire insides twist. “You told Midorima-kun and he told Akashi-kun and now I have to give Nigou away!”

“N-Nigou?” Kagami stammered.

“My dog. My dog, Kagami-kun. That’s what Takao-kun, Koga-san, Mitobe-san and I named him, and now, thanks to you and Midorima-kun, I’m going to lose him!”

With those words Kuroko turned around and left the apartment with furious steps, leaving Kagami with a dread he had never experienced before boiling in the pit of his stomach. No, no, no, no, no, he hadn’t _meant_ for that to happen. He’d just vented without thinking over whom he was venting _to_ or what he was revealing. Like hell he would ever intentionally make Kuroko this upset, even if he hated dogs.

Aomine whistled slowly. “Man, I haven’t seen Tetsu that upset since Murasakibara made this kid in our first string practice cry in middle school. He’s not going to talk to _you_ for a while, Bakagami.”

Kagami swallowed thickly, feeling far too guilty to ask Aomine to shut up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyyy, first off I am soooo very sorry it took me forever to update this. I am currently taking commissions so I'm prioritizing that, but also, I just recently moved home from school for the summer. What I'm trying to say is, blame finals, and blame my busy schedule, but now that summer is here I'll be better at updating this story.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy and please do leave comments/kudos. They keep me motivated!
> 
> Comment on the chapter: this one was particularly hard to write for me. I'm not sure why. Probably because these guys are not sixteen anymore, nor does it follow canon divergence so I have to consider their personalities and tweak them a little to match their new backgrounds and ages, so please bear with me. I hope I did all right though. And do not worry, this whole misunderstanding will be cleared out.
> 
> Expect an update in two weeks! I'm trying this two weeks till next update schedule, if you're all game? We'll see if I can maintain it!
> 
> Thanks again for reading! ♛


	8. The One With The Blackmail

He hadn’t expected to be popular with the neighbors when he moved in. He’d never been popular with people in general, but feeling the glares of Kuroko’s friends suddenly made him realize just how much he’d grown comfortable with having them around and that being the source of their anger made him feel uneasy. It didn’t help that his brother had spent three days over at Murasakibara’s place now, refusing to talk to him. It wasn’t like he was being _hated_ , but clearly Kuroko’s inner-circle was not about to forgive him _or_ Midorima for screwing up just yet.

“This is your fault, you know!” Kagami said as he caught Midorima in the hallway. He’d been downstairs borrowing a spatula from Riko (who was also miffed at him, so she’d hit him with it before handing it over) and thus he pointed it all up in Midorima’s face. “I was in a weak state when I blurted out that Kuroko had a dog and you just had to go off and tell Akashi. What the hell is _wrong_ with you?”

Midorima looked like he wanted to murder him, but all he did was sigh and said: “If you are here to chew me off, Takao has already made it perfectly clear that what I did was wrong, but Kuroko has to understand that if we do not follow the rules Akashi—”

“Oh come on! You guys go way back, he wouldn’t even have noticed if you weren’t such a tight ass and had to follow through with whatever you’re so upset about. I _hate_ dogs and I would’ve never told on him.”

“You don’t know Akashi. He would have found out eventually. I was just trying to make the separation easier.”

“As Kuroko’s friend you should’ve tried to _convince_ him, not be a tattle-tale! God, you’re the worst!” Kagami was seconds from shoving his spatula up _someone_ ’s ass.

“If you are so certain you can convince Akashi to let Kuroko keep the dog, then why don’t you try it yourself? He should be in his apartment right now. Well, for ten more minutes at least. He will be leaving for Akita for a couple of days, but if you hurry you will most likely catch him.”

And that was how Kagami found himself standing outside Akashi Seijurou’s door, hand raised to knock, but a bit too nervous to do so. The guy was incredibly creepy and he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to go forward. He’d been rushing to catch him before he left, but now that he was here he suddenly had no words.

Not that he used to have words at all. This was actually a really bad plan considering he wasn’t particularly articulate. At _all_.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get the chance to regret it seeing as Akashi opened the door before he even managed to retreat his hand. For a moment there was an awkward silence where Akashi eyed him up and down, almost as if he was wondering if he could somehow get past him without having to exchange causalities.

 “Kagami-san,” the other redhead acknowledged. “May I help you?”

“I—uh, _yes_. Yes, you will— _may_ , uh.” Kagami straightened up, arms crossing over his chest. “I’ve come to ask about the dog. _Kuroko’s_ dog. He’s really heartbroken about not being able to keep it, and I figured s-since you guys go _way_ back and all I should come and ask you about letting him keep it.”

Akashi didn’t as much as blink at him. “No.” He then closed the door behind him and was about to move past Kagami when the bigger man made a sound in protest.

“ _Come on_ , you guys have known each other for years! How can you ask him to get rid of the dog? He loves that thing.” Kagami knew Akashi wasn’t the most heartwarming person in the world. He’d hardly spent time with the guy since the party he had arranged when they’d just moved in, but he had thought there was a _heart_ in there somewhere. How could Kuroko possibly have stayed friends with this guy? He looked like an icicle.

“It is _because_ we have known each other for years that I know Tetsuya will get over it, Kagami-san. He has always had a soft spot for animals. Curiously enough, they also always seem to have a soft spot for him.” Akashi took a pause as if he recalled a particularly peculiar memory of their junior high days. “Going to the zoo was never easy.”

Kagami blinked for a second as Akashi started to make his way towards the elevator. Shaking his head, the bigger man followed him. “Okay, I’m not denying that you rainbow fellows used to be this close knit thing that knew each other probably on a really disturbing level—”

“If you are implying that any of us were anything _but_ friends you are sorely mistaken. Except Ryouta and Daiki, of course, but I have noticed their denial for their obvious attraction is still very persistent.” Akashi glanced down at a couple of papers he had in his free hand, the other occupied holding a briefcase. Kagami couldn’t get used to the way he talked. He was more formal than Midorima.

“I’m not! God, I’m just saying that if you guys are old friends why wouldn’t you look the other way and let him keep the dog. He loves that thing more than you think. Seriously, isn’t there _anything_ you can do?” Kagami put his hands together, trying to look pleading when really he just wanted to kill the man in front of him; hoist him up and throw him through the window because it wasn’t like their apartment complex was a fancy hotel. It would survive with one pet in here!

“Listen, Kagami-san.” Akashi glanced up at him, face still as expressionless as ever. “I do not believe you have any experience running any business whatsoever—”

“ _Oi_!”

“— and I’m sure you are aware that I can throw you and your brother out whenever I want to.” Kagami swallowed as he sensed an evil gleam in those heterochromatic eyes. “I’m not saying I will, but I advise you to watch the way you speak when you talk to me. I have my bad days. You can ask any of my former teammates.” Akashi once more fixed his gaze to the papers in his hand. “But back to my point, you don’t know how to run a business. Apartment complexes that don’t allow pets sell better and even though I think highly of Tetsuya and believe he would make sure the dog would not become a problem, I cannot make an exception for one resident without dealing with the other residents’ concerns. I care for Tetsuya, but I cannot make exceptions.”

The elevator opened. Akashi walked inside, sighing slightly when Kagami still intended on following him. “I get that, but this is _Kuroko_. He hates me because I told Midorima and yeah it was unintentional, but now everyone’s mad at me, and even more mad at Midorima, so if Kuroko can’t keep the dog this is gonna make living in this place _really_ difficult for both of us. _Please_. Can’t you make an exception just once?” He hated that he had to plea, but he kept remembering the way Kuroko had looked at him. So _hurt_. He seriously didn’t want to lose his best friend over a stupid puppy.

“If you decide to move out I’ll need you to inform me before the end of the month or you will have to pay rent for next month as well.”

“You’re totally missing the point!” Kagami growled frustrated.

Akashi sent him a disinterested look. “I did not miss it. I chose not to respond accordingly.”

“Seriously, _what_ do I have to do to let Kuroko keep the dog? I’ll do anything, I swear. Anything at all.”

“I earn more each month than you will earn your entire life, Kagami-san. I seriously doubt you can offer anything of value to me.”

“Come on, this has to get to you too. I mean, sure Kuroko’s mad at me, he’s even more mad at Midorima, but he’s probably pissed at _you_ considering you’re the one who makes the rules, right?” Kagami wasn’t sure he liked the irritated look Akashi sent his way, but at least he was making a valid point, which was more than he’d done this entire conversation. “There’s got to be _some_ loophole.”

For a moment it looked as if Akashi was silently contemplating how to kill him, before he sighed (making Kagami breathe out in relief; he had not been aware he’d been holding his breath). Akashi then held his papers out towards him and curtly said: “hold these.”

Seeing a hope in the horizon, Kagami did as ordered, though silently fantasizing about whacking Akashi with the papers instead of holding them. Soon a completely different stack of papers was put in front of his face. “Make Tetsuya sign the one on the top. If you can make every other resident in the complex sign the other papers in the stack I will be able to make an exception.”

“Really? Thanks!” Kagami grinned relieved.

“Don’t thank me yet, Kagami-san.” Akashi snorted. “You’re going to need a lot of luck getting everyone to sign.”

“Why? Most of the guys around here love Kuroko.”

“There’s your keyword, Kagami-san. _Most_.” The elevator doors opened and Akashi snagged the first stack of papers out of Kagami’s hand. “Have them ready by the time I return and Tetsuya can keep the dog.”

Frowning, Kagami watched Akashi leave until the elevator doors closed. Why did he have a feeling that the younger man had been thoroughly amused by his desperate attempt to get Kuroko to forgive him?

———

“You are never going to get everyone’s signatures.” Once again he’d met with Midorima in the hallway without really intending to go find him, but seeing as this was _his_ fault Kagami had felt it necessary to force him to help out. There were four floors and around ten apartments, which equaled forty doors to knock on. Midorima could take twenty and he could take twenty. Hopefully by the end of the day he’d have all signatures and he could finally speak to Kuroko again. And his brother… but Kuroko first, seeing as he still hadn’t worked out the details of how he was going to apologize to Tatsuya.

However, Midorima was being as pessimistic as ever.

“And why not? People around here _love_ Kuroko. Even Kise’s temperamental senpai or whatever likes him so don’t tell me we can’t convince everyone to let him keep the dog. He loves the mutt so we should at least try.” Kagami’s eyes suddenly narrowed at the man in front of him. “Or is this because _you_ don’t want to sign, because of it is I’m going to—”

“ _Obviously_ , it is not. I am not a cat person, but dogs I deal with just fine,” Midorima sneered, causing Kagami’s eyebrow to twitch. He was the exact opposite of this green haired jackass. Midorima was a tight ass who hated cats. Kagami was a loudmouth who hated dogs. They were doomed to not get along from the very beginning.

“The reason you won’t be able to make it is because of the residents on the first floor,” Midorima told him.

Kagami blinked confused. “First floor? What’s wrong with first floor?”

Midorima sighed, arms planted firmly over his chest. “Hanamiya Makoto, Furihashi Koujiou, Hara Kazuya, Seto Kentarou, Yamazaki Hiroshi and Haizaki Shougo. As well as the twins: Ibiki Hayato and Hayate. You will not get the signatures from any of them no matter how much you try unless you are willing to empty your wallet, but even then it is not guaranteed that they will sign.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you are not their type.”

Kagami continued to blink, eyebrows furrowing together. “And what exactly _is_ their type?”

As if a cue they heard a curse coming from further down the corridor. Kagami’s head whipped to the side just as Kise came up the stairs struggling to keep all his bags balanced on his arms. The strap on his messenger bag had apparently split, which was why his language had gotten rather colorful. He didn’t notice them before he raised his gaze from the mess by his feet, but when he finally did his lips pursed. “Oh, it’s you guys.”

“Kise?” Kagami asked, exchanging glances with Midorima.

The green haired man pushed his glasses further up his nose and nodded.

Said blond’s eyes narrowed as both men fixed their gaze to him once more. “What?” the model asked slowly.

———

“No way.”

“Kise, c’mon!”

“Yes, Kise, if you would just—”

“No way. Midorimacchi, we hate those guys for a _reason_. I’m not going to waltz around in tight jeans and ask them for signatures just because they would think my butt looks nice and not yours. I’m a model, not a pole dancer, not a stripper and most of all not a prostitute and taking advantage of my good looks is for me to do only.”

Kise reached for the doorknob to his apartment, but Kagami caught it before he did and placed himself between the blond and the door. He put his hands together like he’d done for Akashi yesterday, eyes pleading. “Please, Kise. I want Kuroko to get to keep the dog! If we get everyone’s signatures I can tell him the mutt can stay and he won’t be mad at me anymore. He’ll get to keep the thing and everyone will be happy!”

The model bit his lip. Kuroko was Kise’s weak spot, after all. Kagami figured that if this didn’t work then nothing would. He couldn’t ask his brother to be seductive considering Tatsuya was still mad and was also occupied. He didn’t know a lot about Murasakibara, but he knew the giant wasn’t fond of sharing, least of all things that mattered to him the most. Kise was their only hope, according to Midorima, and in this kind of situation Kagami just had to trust him, because he didn’t know the people around here enough. He’d been living in the apartment complex for a couple of months, but he had hardly seen the people that didn’t live on the same floor as him with the exception of those Kuroko and the others were close to so he needed all the help he could get.

“And Akashicchi said for sure that if we get all the signatures Kurokocchi will get to keep Nigou?” Kise asked skeptically as he frowned at Kagami. “And if we do get everyone to sign you will of course give me equally much credit as the two of you so Kurokocchi will know that I did this sacrifice for him?”

“Of course. This is for Kuroko’s sake, okay. We both feel bad, _right_ , Midorima?” Kagami sent the green haired man a nasty glare daring him to say anything else, because he would literally throw those glasses to the ground and step on them if that were to happen.

“ _Yes_ ,” Midorima bit out slowly. That had to hurt his pride. _Good_ , Kagami thought.

Kise put his hands to his hips, eyeing them up and down, before sighing in defeat. He then pointed at the bags he had dropped by his feet when Kagami had come between him and the door. “Fine. I’ll do it, now pick up my stuff and carry it inside while I go change. Also, Kagamicchi you owe me cooking lessons like you had with Kurokocchi.”

“Got it.” Kagami reached out for a handshake to close the deal, but Kise simply walked straight past him and left the door open. The redhead exchanged glances with Midorima, before they both did as ordered. Kagami grabbed a couple of bags, astonished by the weight of these things, but more astonished over the fact that Kise had been able to carry all these by himself. The blond was far stronger than he’d thought, and incredibly scary when pissed.

Midorima grunted at the weight of the shopping bags and threw them on the floor of Kise and Kuroko’s apartment as soon as he could. Kagami wondered if maybe Kise had wanted them to put his newly bought goods a specific place, but decided to ignore it and followed Midorima’s example. Kise couldn’t possibly get more pissed at them anyway.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

The blond emerged from the door, and Kagami almost choked while Midorima simply looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in the situation he had gotten them in. Kise was wearing tight leather pants that left nothing to the imagination, a short top that revealed his bellybutton, fingerless gloves and a leather west to complete the outfit. He looked like he belonged on a Harley commercial for gay motorcyclists.

“Uh… why…?” Kagami stopped himself, gesturing towards Kise and looking at Midorima in hopes of the green haired man giving him some kind of explanation.

“The more skin he shows the better. Also, the names I mentioned have a certain preference.”

“Hah…”

“They like _bad boys_.” Kise clicked his tongue, pulled on his west, straightened himself up and then held his head high. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“We’re on the fourth floor, Kise, so we are _starting_ at the fourth floor.” Midorima handed the blond a stack of papers and watched as his old teammate’s lips pursed when he realized he would be wearing this outfit in front of everyone in the building.

“I’m going to get a bathrobe.” Kise twirled around and disappeared for one second, before coming back with a black robe he wrapped around his body. “Now we can go.”

Kagami heaved a sigh.

———

Their floor was easy. Most people knew who Kuroko was seeing as he was their neighbor and seemingly had no problems with dogs whatsoever so it didn’t take a lot of time before they had all the signatures they needed. Aomine had been a pain in the ass, of course, but he signed without question ( _obviously_ , being Kuroko’s old childhood friend and all), eyes never leaving Kise until the blond got tired of his gaze and snapped. “ _What_?”

“Just trying to understand why the fuck you would wear a robe in the middle of the day.”

“Just leave it, Aominecchi. There’s no particular reason.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

“We’re on a mission, Aho. Sign, and give these to Murasakibara and… I’m guessing my brother.” Kagami felt a sting for the fact that _Aomine_ would be the one handing the signature sheet to his brother instead of him, but he would deal with that later. Right now he just had to get Kuroko to keep that damn mutt.

“Fine, whatever. As long as Tetsu gets to keep his dog.”

“He will, Aominecchi! We will make sure of it, so stop looking at my robe.”

“I just really want to know the story behind that.”

“No, no you don’t.”

Kagami slammed the door in Aomine’s face before he could say anything else. Last thing he needed was Kise and Aomine’s sexual tension getting in the way when they had urgent business to attend to. He’d dealt with that enough for the last months.

Their next stop was Kise’s old senpai who opened the door warily with his own bathrobe wrapped around him, his one being royal blue and not as form fitting as Kise’s yellow one. Kasmatsu eyed his former kohai with skepticism like always and hesitantly opened the door further. “Kise? What the hell are you wearing?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Kasamatsu-senpai. It’s four in the afternoon and you never sleep in.”

“I was going to take a bath,” Kasamatsu snapped.

Kagami couldn’t help but feel that Kise’s old senpai wanted them to leave as fast as possible, so he shoved Kise away and quickly put a signature sheet in the smaller man’s face. “We’re trying to get everyone to sign so that Kuroko can keep his dog. Akashi won’t allow Kuroko to have the pet unless everyone in the building has signed up. We already got everyone on the fourth floor so it would be great if you and your roommate could sign.”

“Oh, you mean the dog you and green guy over there got thrown out.” Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow and pointed in Midorima’s direction. Said man instantly sneered, but Kise put his hand in his face before he could reply.

Kagami sighed. “Yes.”

“You trying to do the right thing here then.” Kasamatsu grabbed the sheet and then held his other hand out. “Pen.”

“Midorima give the guy a pen.” Midorima complied. Kasamatsu promptly signed and then handed it back to Kagami. “Your roommate?” The redhead asked.

“Uh, he’s not here right now.”

“Really? Where’s Moriyama-senpai?” Kise blinked.

“He left thirty minutes ago to go see a movie with Momoi-san.”

“… I thought Momoicchi was seeing Susa-san?”

“Yeah, no I don’t think that worked out.”

“Really? Huh.”

Kagami rolled his eyes at them and shook his head. “Whatever. Just hand him this when he gets back, okay? It’ll help us a lot. We need to get all the signatures before Akashi comes back from Akita.” He handed Kasamatsu yet another sheet and was prepared to leave when suddenly Imayoshi stuck his head out from over Kasamatsu’s shoulder. Kise’s mouth dropped at the sight.

“I suppose you’d want me sign as well? Susa’s home right next door so make sure to knock on our apartment too.” Smirking, Imayoshi Shoichi leaned further on Kasamatsu who was now hiding his face with one of his hands.

“I told you to _stay_ —”

“But, Yukio-chan, I have to sign. Kuroko-kun is going to lose his dog.”

Always when Imayoshi spoke Kagami felt as if a few kittens would die. The mischievous glint in his eyes were far more unsettling than Takao’s had ever been, which was probably the reason why those two got along so well. It was almost like watching the Devil and his spawn walk around and never ceased to both fascinate and terrify most of them.

Kise’s mouth was still open as they closed the door, leaving the hallway deadly quiet except from the loud noises coming form the other door, which was probably Kasamatsu throwing a fit. Midorima sent Kise side-glance. The blond looked like he was questioning his entire existence, which Midorima could not decide was a good or a bad thing. On a positive note, everything was quiet, but on a negative note, Kise’s expression was starting to freak him out.

The blond didn’t speak before they had finished third floor and was on their way to the second. “This is looking good. Everyone has signed so far. We can actually do this! Kuroko’s gonna be so relieved—”

“How could I _not_ have seen that coming?!”

Of all things Kise could say to interrupt him. Kagami was almost startled by the volume of it. The redhead looked over at Midorima who was better at understandin Kise than he was, but this time the green haired man simply shook his head. Clearly he was not going to get any translation help this time around.

“What are you talking about, Kise?” Kagami sighed, rubbing his temple. He couldn’t wait to get this over with and tell Kuroko that he could keep the dog so they could go back to being friends. He wasn’t sure he could handle the people around here without Kuroko being in his life.

“I never even suspected Kasmatsu-senpai for liking guys! He’s so traditional, you know? When I came out to him I was really nervous. And even if I would assumed he could swing both ways, I never imagined Imayoshi-san as his _type_. I have to tell Aominecchi about this. Our senpais are screwing!” Kise shook his head, as if the mere image was unbelievable to him. Kagami was so used to people around him being of any kind of sexualities that he was no longer fazed by anything, really. Although he had to admit he raised his eyebrow just a little when they knocked on the next door and a fairly tall man with long, black hair came out in shorts that were so tight they looked more like underwear than anything else. He wasn’t wearing anything _but_ those shorts either.

Nice abs though. They reminded Kagami of his own.

“Kise-chan!”

“Reo-nee, did you know Kasamatsu-senpai and Imayoshi-senpai had a thing?! No one told me about this!” Kise groaned, wrapping his arms around the tall man in a tight hug as if to seek comfort.

“You seriously didn’t know?”

“I’m a busy person!”

“Kise-chan, you need to catch on. You’ve been overworking yourself, haven’t you?” The taller man shook his head and then fixed his eyes to Kagami and Midorima. He perked up at the sight of the redhead and made a slight bow towards him even though Kise was still hugging him tightly. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Mibuchi Reo, I just got back from China.”

The redhead briefly bowed back. “Kagami Taiga. Nice to meet you, uh… you and Kise know each other?”

“I know everyone in this place. Kise-chan, included.” Mibuchi shrugged with a soft smile that Kagami couldn’t quite tell was genuine or not. “I was on Sei-chan’s old team back in High School, so most of the guys know me from my Rakuzan days. You moved in with your brother, right? That Himuro guy? He’s really cute. I heard he’s dating Murasakibara-kun, is that right?” Mibuchi glanced down at Kise who nodded in confirmation, still moping.

Kagami grumbled a yes.

“Kise how long are you going to hug him?” Midorima asked impatiently.

“Till I’m not upset anymore. Reo-nee is very huggable, Midorimacchi and he genuinely cares about my well-being.”

“Yeah, well I care about _Kuroko’s_ well-being and he needs his dog back, so please, uh, Mibuchi, can you sign this sheet? We’re trying to get Kuroko to keep his mutt. Akashi said he could keep it if we got everyone to sign.” Kagami held the sheet out towards the tall man who blinked.

Kise slowly released Mibuchi’s waist and stepped back, seemingly deciding that Kagami had a point. Mibuchi accepted the sheet into his hands and cooed softly. “Kuroko-kun is getting a dog? Sei-chan always had a soft spot for him, I swear, but he seems not to be the only one.” Mibuchi sent Kagami a slight smirk that made the redhead swallow. “Is Kuroko-kun your boyfriend, Kagami-san? You seem awfully passionate about letting him keep his pet.”

“W-what, no!” Kagami’s face gained a red color as Mibuchi sent him that motherly smile. “I-I don’t, we’re just best friends, okay? I feel bad for blowing the secret to this bastard—” He made a hand-gesture towards Midorima who practically hissed at him. “— who told Akashi and now Kuroko’s mad at me so I’m trying to make up for my mistake. That’s all. Will you sign or not? For Kuroko’s sake. Please.”

His face was still red as Mibuchi chuckled (all smugly, the bastard) and signed, before bidding them goodbye. He refused to look at either Kise or Midorima for the rest of their remaining floor. Thankfully, what was left of their mission went rather smoothly, though Kise was still complaining about not having seen Kasamatsu and Imayoshi relationship before now.

“Okay, Kise, we’re at the last apartments of first floor so please shut up and do your thing,” Kagami said, rubbing his temple for the nth time. He swore he was developing the worst headache he could ever recall having. _Just a couple more doors to go_ , he reminded himself _._ It was late, but they were getting there and that was really all that mattered at this point. He could smell Kuroko’s forgiveness. Well, hopefully it was forgiveness that awaited him.

Kise’s eyebrow twitched but he removed the robe nonetheless. He then threw it at Midorima who sent him a deadly glare in response. Kise held his hand out towards him straight after. “Wallet.”

“Why my wallet?” Midorima said.

“Because, Midorimacchi, you’re the reason we’re here in the first place and you’re a doctor so it’s not like you’re going to miss the money. Suck it up. You know bribery is all that works with these guys. Well, bribery and certain types of attractive people apparently.” Midorima let go of an exaggerated sigh, before handing the wallet over to Kise’s awaiting hand. The blond model then thanked him and made his way over to the closest door.

The first door belonged to the _Genius Twins_. Kuroko had mentioned them back when Kagami had just moved in. Something about them being rivals in Junior High. They worked at a gay bar downtown, apparently, but Kagami didn’t know much else about them until they opened up that door and whistled at Kise. “Kise-kun, what a pleasure,” the first one said, while the other stuck his head over his twin’s shoulder and snickered. “If you wanted to seduce us there are easier ways. Try no clothes next time. Much less hassle.”

“Hayate, Hayato…” Kise’s eyebrow twitched as he managed a forced smile. “I’m here to ask you to please sign this form so that my roommate can keep his dog. It would mean a lot to him.”

The twins exchanged glances, seemingly having a mental conversation. Their hesitation pissed Kagami off even though he had been warned this would happen. He was about to say something — feeling his temper flaring up like usual — but Midorima put his hand over his mouth and hissed in his ear: “Let Kise do this.”

Kagami was forced to silently grumble instead.

“Why should we? We’re not that fond of dogs,” twin one said, arms crossing over his chest as his brother leaned on him further.

“Yeah, why should we?” twin two chirped in.

A visible vein throbbed on Kagami’s forehead, but Midorima held him back firmly. Kise once more forced a smile, before bringing up some of the yen he’d already pre-prepared. “Ten thousand yen. You sign and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Once more the twins glanced at each other, before nodding. “Twenty thousand and you have a deal.”

This time it was a vein in Midorima’s forehead that twitched.

“All right, I accept.” Kise held up the money so they saw he had it in his possession but before the first twin could reach out, the blond forced the sheet in his face. Both twins glared at him, clearly not amused. “Sign first.”

They signed finally, and before any more comments could be made Kise shoved the money to the first twin’s chest and then slammed the door shut. Three more apartments to go. Kagami watched as Kise strolled over to the next door, following slightly with Midorima in tow. Kise looked both disgusted but determined all at the same time. Kagami felt a bit guilty for asking him to do this, but it was for Kuroko so Kise was doing it for the same reason as they were. A tall man with messy black hair and high cheekbones opened the door, leaning against it as he yawned. He eyed Kise with irritation, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed, but once he got a good look at the blond a slow smirk spread over his lips.

“Gee, Kise-san, what’s up with the outfit?”

“Hello, Seto-san. I’m going to a shoot, but I need some help first.” Kise smiled charmingly.

“ _Really_?” The guy’s eyes gleamed interested as he buried his hands down in his pockets. “I was asleep you know, but you woke me up. Shouldn’t you take responsibility for your actions?”

Kagami almost gagged, while Midorima’s expression was almost murderous.

Kise’s smile turned more strained, but Kagami had to admit he was _really_ good at looking sincere. Well, Kuroko had mentioned the blond was partly an actor as well. It showed.

“Not that kind of help, Seto.” Kise shoved the form into the man’s chest, keeping smile in tact. “If you would please sign this form so my roommate can keep his dog I would be _really_ grateful.”

Seto regarded the paper with zero interest, before turning his eyes back to Kise (of which he had much more interest). “ _How_ grateful?”

Kagami and Midorima bristled. This was just _uncomfortable_ to watch. Kagami wasn’t Kise’s father or mother, but he suddenly felt an urge to cover the blond up and punch the guy. Fortunately, Kise seemed to handle himself just fine (which was both impressive and sad at the same time considering it probably meant the blond had a lot of harassment experiences). “I’ll give you ten thousand yen.”

Seto yawned, and thankfully he was too bored to be difficult. “I’ll give you another five hundred if you wake up your roommate and get him to sign.” Kise then injected as he was handed back the now signed paper.

“Yeah, yeah.” Seto grabbed the form intended for his roommate and disappeared for a good five minutes, before he returned with a sloppy signature. He then slammed the door in their faces and Kise visibly shuddered.

“Guys like that should have remained straight.”

“I have seen him making the same advances at women,” Midorima pointed out as Kise tucked the signatures back with the rest of they had collected. It was almost a complete pile by now, only missing a few from their friends that they could get in contact with soon enough, with the exception of the two apartments they had left to knock on.

“Then guys like that should’ve remained non-existent,” Kise grumbled.

They made their way over to the second last door. The guy who opened had faint purple hair and bangs that covered his eyes. He blew a bubble of gum till it snapped and then pulled it back in. Kagami found himself wrinkling his nose at him. Kise seemed unfazed, however, having probably seen this gross habit displayed a million times. Kagami couldn’t tell if he was eyeing Kise up or not until he smirked lazily and said: “Nice.”

Kise sighed slightly, before straightening up and plastering on yet another smile. “Hara-san, I’d really appreciate if you could sign this and get your roommate to do so as well so my roommate can keep his dog.”

Once more the guy sucked in his gum, chewed, blew a bubble and snapped it again with his teeth, all while looking down at the signature sheet he’d been handed. “I don’t really like dogs,” the man murmured.

“Kurokocchi is really responsible, I assure you he won’t let the dog become a problem.” Kise’s fake smile stretched. “How about I give you ten thousand yen and you sign? Then I’ll give you another five hundred if you can get you roommate to sign without any fuzz. You’ll be doing me a great favor.”

Kise batted his eyelashes. Once more Kagami felt like gagging, but had to give props to Kise for being such a good actor.

Again, the guy performed the same routine with his gum, before he shrugged and said: “Fine.” He then held his hand out and Kise gave him the sheet. He signed, received the ten thousand yen, before accepting yet another sheet for his roommate and disappeared for a while. Kise slumped his shoulders.

“How do you _do_ it?” Kagami asked quietly so they wouldn’t hear them. “You’re really good at this thing, which is worrying.”

Kise snorted, hand on his hip as he glanced behind his shoulder at Kagami. “Once you’ve met one asshole, you’ve met them all, Kagamicchi. It’s not that hard to figure out what they want and when I smile it’s just ‘cause I’m picturing what it would be like to shove my foot up in their ass, chop their bodies into tiny pieces and throw them in a lake.”

“… you’re pretty ruthless, aren’t you?”

Kise grinned, suddenly gleaming much like he’d done the first day Kagami had met him. Like a ray of sunshine. “Hah, don’t let my beauty fool you, Kagamicchi. I’m way tougher than I look like.”

He had never really assumed Kise was anything but. Although clearly eager to please and bright in every single way, he was also sly — Kagami had seen this side of him more than once — and his height and muscle-tone didn’t exactly give off a vulnerable appearance. It was probably Kise’s ability to look both innocent and dangerous at the same time that made people so fascinated and attracted to him.

Soon enough the Hara guy returned with another signed sheet. Kise thanked him with a bow and before the guy could suggest a kiss on the cheek as a reward — which he was clearly intending on doing — Kise slammed the door in his face. “One more to go, one more to go,” Kise murmured to himself, practically hauling Kagami and Midorima with him. Honestly, Kagami was thinking the same thing.

 _One more to go_.

Kise knocked on the door with a determination that outdid the one Kagami had seen before. Instead of one guy appearing at the door, this time there were two. The shorter of the two had dark, nearly shoulder-length hair, pale with a smirk that somehow reminded Kagami of a frog… or maybe a very mischievous looking turtle? Either way he creeped him out. His roommate had dark gray hair and a hairstyle in cornrows that he had in braids, an unlit cigarette kept between his lips.

“Ryouta?” The taller’s smirk spread wider. Somehow this guy made Kagami more uncomfortable than all the others _combined_. He was eying his blond friend— uh, _acquaintance_ as if Kise was some kind of meat. Marinated meat with perfectly prepared vegetables and rice.

“Haizaki, Hanamiya, would you please sign these sheets so my roommate can keep his dog?”

The blond held the sheets out towards them, trying to hide the impatience in his voice. Hanamiya snorted, arms burying deep down in his pockets as he simply eyed the paper with disinterest. “Why should I help you, Kise? I thought we had a nice hate thing going on here. You and your little gang aren’t exactly my biggest fans.” Hanamiya’s smirk widened.

“We’re not your fans for a very good reason, Hanamiya,” Midorima grumbled from the sidelines, gaining a heated glare from Kise that screamed for the other two to keep their commentary for themselves.

Said model turned towards Hanamiya again. “I’ll pay you if you sign. How’s that?” Kise wasn’t smiling anymore.

Hanamiya clicked his tongue. “How much?”

“Ten thousand yen.”

“I’m not impressed.” Hanamiy had brought his hand up to his face, seemingly more interested in his nails than the men standing in front of him. Kagami felt his blood boiling by the sight of him.

Sighing, Kise brushed his blond bangs out of his face. “Twenty thousand.”

“Hm.”

“ _Thirty_ ,” Kagami suddenly snapped. Midorima glared at him in response. It was _his_ wallet they were taking the money from.

“Well… I suppose I _could_ help you out.” Hanamiya’s sleazy smirk was still in place when Kise handed him the sheet. Once it was signed he handed it back, before murmuring something to Haizaki and making his way into the apartment, thankfully leaving them alone. Kise thanked the lords that Midorima was the kind of guy who kept a lot of cash on him while Kagami simply sighed in relief when there was just _one guy_ left.

“Okay, how much do you want, Shougo? Thirty thousand?” Kise scoffed. He had a feeling he would have to help Midorima out with the money. Maybe they could all split it. No, that wasn’t fair. Kagamicchi and Midorimacchi could split; he was the one being treated as an accessory. He was doing them a _favor_ so no paying on his part. No way.

Haizaki moved his hand up to remove the still unlit cigarette, and said with a lazy smirk. “What makes you think I can be bought, _Ryouuuuta_? I thought you knew me. We used to be so _close_ back in Junior High, remember?” Haizaki leaned forward, teasingly winking, and Kise’s eyes narrowed at him.

“You wanted to ruin my chances at the championship match with Aominecchi in High School _because_ I took your place in Junior High, _Haizaki_. What delusional part of our Teiko days made you think that we were ever _close_?” Kise put his hand up before the other man could answer. “Never mind. I don’t wanna know. Just tell me what you want in exchange for signing the sheet. You’re the last one we need.”

Haizaki’s smirk widened. Kise’s determination seemed to have withered somewhat; suddenly the blond looked a bit unsure. Kagami frowned as Haizaki leaned even closer, Kise bowing back in the process to avoid him. “A date.”

“Huh?” Kise blinked confused.

“A date. I don’t need money. I want a date. With you.”

“W-what? Are you stupid? Why the hell would I go out with _you_?! Are you kidding me?” Kise exclaimed, eyes going impossibly wide. Haizaki had been a pain from the moment the blond had gotten to know him, and _clearly_ the feelings had been mutual back in Junior High. He’d grown even worse in High School, so Kise could simply not fathom why Haizaki would have any interest whatsoever in taking him out.

He knew the guy was shallow, so being asked to do something far more inappropriate would’ve actually surprised him _less_ , but no, Haizaki wanted a _date_. A _date_. As if Kise would ever willingly do such a thing.

“I think Kise broke character,” Kagami hissed to Midorima who seemed almost as surprised as Kise was, but on a much calmer level, of course.

“I think he has a good reason,” Midorima responded slowly.

Chuckling, Haizaki pulled back and brought out a lighter to finally light up his cigarette. Kise was still looking at him as if he had grown two heads. Kagami wasn’t quite sure what was going on here, but he was starting to panic just a little, because if they couldn’t get this guy to give in Kuroko would not get to keep Nigou and would _still_ be mad at him. Just the thought of Kuroko continuing to blame him for this — even though it was first and foremost _Midorima’s fault_ — made his stomach twist.

Haizaki inhaled and then let out the smoke in a long puff. Kise’s nose wrinkled. “I’m not interested in money, Kise. I want a date, and if you’re not gonna keep an open mind about that then I’m not going to sign. Your roommate will just have to live without a mutt, sorry.” Haizaki shrugged, smirk so _evil_ Kagami felt conflicted. One part of him wanted Kise to give in so the guy could sign and at the same time the redhead felt strangely protective over the blond.

Kagami put his finger up, ready to chew the guy out the best he could, but Kise raised his hand up, interrupting whatever he’d _wanted_ to say — frankly he didn’t know; he was more of a relying-on-actions kind of guy.

“Okay.”

“Kise!” Midorima sneered. “You’re not honestly going to—”

“I’ll go on a date with you. I’m free Friday. Pick me up at seven. Now _sign_.” Kise shoved the sheet in Haizaki’s face. The taller man snickered darkly and grabbed a pen from his pocket. Once signed, Kagami let go of a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding in. Haizaki seemingly wanted to say something more, but with a growl Kise had grabbed for the door and slammed it in the guy’s face.

“That fucking— blackmailing, shitface, asshole, I _can’t_ fucking—ARGH!” Kise threw his hands up in the air, and kicked the nearest wall. Kagami reached his hand out to save the signed forms that now lay scattered all over the hallway because Kise was throwing himself around cursing Haizaki’s existence.

“Kise… I can’t believe you… are you sure Kuroko is going to be okay with this?” Kagami managed to say; still thrown off guard that Kise could curse like that. That he could look like he actually wanted to commit a murder, it was just _so_ very unlike the Kise he’d known for the last couple of months.

Kise took a few deep breaths, straightening himself up and grabbing for the robe Midorima was still holding. Once he had it wrapped around his body he finally said: “Well, I don’t know, but it’s for Kurokocchi. I can deal with Haizaki for Kurokocchi’s sake. Now he gets to keep Nigou and I get to tell him his well being is more important than me having to go on a date with that asshole.”

“Kise…” Kagami was stunned. Up until now he’d always assumed Kise was rather selfish. True, he seemed to be less so when it came to Kuroko, but it was downright admirable that he had just agreed to spend an evening with a guy like _that_ for the sake of his roommate’s happiness.

Midorima removed his glasses for a brief moment to put his hand over his eyes to rub his fingers soothingly over the bridge of his nose. “Aomine is not going to be happy about this,” the green haired man murmured softly so only Kagami could hear.

 _Oh_.

Right. Kagami wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was coming next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave sweet comments, kudos, please? Sorry about the long wait.
> 
> PS: Lets all board the Kise fanclub!


	9. The One Where Kagami and Himuro Make Up

Kagami hadn’t been able to sleep that night. He was too anxious. He’d wanted to tell Kuroko right away that they had all the signatures so that he could keep the dog (Murasakibara had come by with his and Tatsuya’s signed forms right before Kagami had gotten ready for bed; he hadn’t spoken to him more than lending a few words; he’d simply handed the papers over and told him “Kuro-chin” would be happy). If possible that had made Kagami feel even worse about the fallout he and Tatsuya had gone through. The more he thought about it the stupider it seemed to be worried over Tatsuya’s love life. It wasn’t his place to know what was best for his brother.

Tatsuya had a job now. He had a _life_ outside of their parents, he was finally independent and free, so maybe it would all be different this time. Maybe Tatsuya was the big brother this time in a literal sense, not just a factual sense.

At some point he must have fallen asleep finally, because he woke up to the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon, _toast_ , which was fairly unexpected considering Tatsuya hadn’t been home the last days and as far as he knew no one else lived here. Kagami was almost afraid to open door, so first he slowly stuck his head out to be on the safe side.

It _was_ Tatsuya.

Kagami blinked confused, briefly wondering if he was dreaming. Tatsuya wasn’t a horrible cook, but he couldn’t recall the last time his older brother had made breakfast for _him_ instead of the other way around. It also didn’t make sense that he would when he was mad at him (and Kagami shamefully admitted to himself he had every right to be.)

“Tatsuya?” Kagami hesitantly got out, pulling on a shirt as he made his way towards the kitchen.

His brother turned, face unreadable. There was that infamous Poker face Kagami knew all too well. Instead of a “good morning” Tatsuya simply said: “Sit.”

“Uh… _right_.” He knew that tone even better than the poker face and complied without hesitation, watching as his brother walked around laying the table, fetching jam and juice from the fridge. Kagami didn’t speak until Tatsuya had served him his scrambled eggs and bacon, and seated himself in front of him. “S-so what are you doing here?” Kagami carefully asked, feeling a surge of hope now that Tatsuya had sought _him_ out.

Unless he wanted to move out. Fuck.

“We need to talk.”

“Yeah, a-about that I was actually going to come see you after I told Kuroko about the forms and—”

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

There was a pause where Kagami simply blinked at his older brother’s face. He certainly hadn’t seen _that_ one coming. “R-really?” he asked unsure, attempting to read Tatsuya’s expression with little luck.

“Yes.” Himuro sighed softly, and brought his hand up to his face. He looked like he hadn’t slept very well. “Listen, Taiga, I almost stayed up all night thinking over what you said since I had finally calmed down enough to actually start thinking like a rational person, and I realized… you had good reasons to be worried and I haven’t been fair to you. You’ve done so much for me and I’ve been selfish.”

Shaking his head Kagami reached across the table to place his hands on top of Himuro’s. “You’re not selfish.”

“But I _am_. Let’s look away from my current relationship with Atsushi just for a minute and look back at everything I’ve put you through, put _myself_ through. Life back home was… hard and I wish I hadn’t dragged you down with me back then. You practically had to nurse me back to health after every breakup because of my fragile mental health.” Himuro took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment as if just remembering his teenage years was physically painful.

“You were depressed. You couldn’t help that.”

“I’m aware, but I shouldn’t yell at you for being concerned for me when I’ve given you no reason not to be in the past.” Himuro’s smile was sad, but soft as he squeezed his brother’s hands. “I didn’t mean to push you away like that. To _overreact_. We’re the only family we have left and we should cherish that.”

A grin made its way to Kagami’s lips and he suddenly chuckled. He put one of his hands to his mouth and shook his head as Himuro sent a confused glance his way. “What?” his brother asked unsure, a hint of a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

“What you just said kinda proves to me that I shouldn’t have assumed that just because it was like that _then_ it would be like that _now_ , y’know? I mean, I’m going to be honest with you…” Kagami exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair, letting go of Himuro’s hand in the process. “I’m _not_ fond of Murasakibara. Sorry, him and I— I guess we’ll have to work on it.”

“I’m not so love struck I’m not aware Atsushi isn’t… _difficult_.” Himuro chuckled briefly. “But Taiga, this time it’s _really_ different. It’s not like anything I’ve— it’s so much _better_. I can’t even explain it in a way that won’t make you gag.”

“Too late.”

Smirking, Himuro kicked Kagami’s foot playfully. “ _Anyway_ , if you can trust me on this one, I’ll make you glad you did. I’m really sorry, Taiga. I can’t pretend the past didn’t happen, but I really want us to start over. This place is—”

“Weird. Messed up.”

Himuro hummed. “Yeah, I suppose, but I was going to say that it’s good for us. Good for you too, I’ve seen it. So, we cool?”

He was still worried. It was hard to put away everything that had happened back in America just like that, but the last years _had_ been better than the ones before. Tatsuya had slowly but surely been taking on the big brother role more — as he’d always wanted it to be — and Kagami really did believe both he and Tatsuya were ready to put it all behind them, start from scratch as best as they could.

Smirking, Kagami held out his fist. “Aren’t we always?”

Himuro returned his smirk and bumped his fist against his. “We sure are.”

“Hey, Tatsuya?”

“Hm?”

“I really am sorry for not trusting you though.”

Grimacing, Tatsuya nudged Kagami’s fist away with a teasing gleam in his eyes. “Try getting along with my boyfriend and I’ll forgive you.”

Kagami simply groaned and banged his head down in the table, while Himuro’s lips formed into a fond smile. Atsushi and Taiga weren’t that different, not really. Perhaps in level of maturity, but their people skills were almost equally horrible. Stretching, Himuro dug in, humming as he suddenly remembered something. “So, you got all the signatures? Kuroko-kun gets to keep his dog?”

Crimson eyes glanced up at him from the tabletop, before Kagami pulled his head up and nodded. “Yeah. It took hours, but we got them all… and uh, Kise and Midorima had to sacrifice a lot, I guess. Not that Midorima didn’t deserve it, the bastard, but Kise… ‘guess he kind of surprised me. I didn’t know he could be so selfless.”

“See what happens when you _actually_ spend time with together people and don’t let first impressions ruin _everything_?”

“Shut _up_.”

Chuckling, Himuro took a sip of his glass of juice, before he curiously asked: “What did Kise have to sacrifice though?”

“Well, some of his dignity first of all.” Kagami wrinkled his nose at the thought of the lecherous staring Kise had dealt with as he’d waltzed around in the tight leather jeans and a crop-top. “But, uh, one of the guys in the last apartment kind of blackmailed him into going on a date. I didn’t get the full story there, but Kise _really_ doesn’t like that guy and I thought Kise liked _everyone_ around here until I met those bastards downstairs...”

Himuro choked on his juice, coughing and waving his hand as a sign for Kagami to hand him a napkin. The redhead quickly complied, watching confused as his brother gathered his breath. “ _Haizaki_?” Himuro croaked, eyes having widened slightly.

“How the hell did you know that?”

“I asked him why he looked so creepily happy this morning when I went to get Atsushi’s mail and he said he was going on a date with a hot blond this Friday. Are you _serious_ , Taiga? The guy looks like a serial killer…” Himuro frowned. “Not to mention all the shit he pulled on the guys in Junior High _and_ High School.”

“How come _you_ know all this and I don’t?”

“Because Kise talks to me and you don’t.”

Kagami rolled his eyes at that. Like he wanted Kise to stroll into their apartment to throw gossip and then have Tatsuya tell him about it. He was perfectly content with Kuroko giving him the information he needed and leaving out what was incredibly unnecessary. “You think he’s going to hurt Kise?” he asked then, eyebrows furrowing together at the thought.

Himuro’s own frown deepened and then shook his head slowly. “No. I don’t see why he would want a date just to hurt Kise. What’s the point in that? Then again, I don’t seen why he would ask for such a thing in the first place. He knows Kise and all his friends hate him. Either he genuinely likes Kise and wants to make amends, or he’s delusional enough that he actually thinks Kise will have sex with him.”

Kagami’s nose wrinkled. He didn’t necessarily consider Kise his _friend_ , but he considered him his neighbor (actually, he didn’t just consider, this was a plain fact) and the idea of someone like that creep Haizaki making moves on him just didn’t quite feel right. Kise was a big boy though, and knew how to take care of himself. Kagami had seen him in action. Himuro had mentioned Kise was better at self-defense than _he_ was and Kagami knew his brother was talented. In other words, Kise was a beast.

Swallowing a mouthful of scrambled eggs, Kagami murmured: “Kise’ll probably just join him for a quick dinner and then he’s out of there.”

“Probably.” Himuro shrugged. “Either way, Kuroko-kun is going to be grateful that you guys made it possible for him to keep his dog. When are you going to tell him?”

“Kise said he’d take him down to the café around ten for breakfast muffins. You want to join?”

“I was planning to. Atsushi’s at work…” Himuro sighed happily. “He really looks good in that apron.”

“Bro, I’m back to being genuinely concerned for your well being.”

———

When they got to Purple Muffin Kuroko and Kise weren’t there yet. Murasakibara was by the counter (something he’d started doing more often since Tatsuya and him started dating; almost as if he had more energy than before); he was handing out orders while Aomine lay sprawled on an armchair, Momoi seated next to him and Midorima and Takao occupying one of the sofas. Riko and Hyuuga were occupying the other one opposite of them, seemingly in a heavy debate on whether to invest in some new equipment for their gym or not.

“Riko, you know I respect your knowledge and your decisions, but sometimes you go overboard.” Hyuuga pinched the bridge of his nose. “We _just_ bought new treadmills!”

“But our elliptical trainers are _ancient_!”

“They’re _not_ that ancient and we got a good prize for them when we started the gym.”

Kagami almost considered leaving again, because when Riko and Hyuuga argued it was like a warzone. People still couldn’t tell whether there was something romantic going on there or if they both had a thing for their best friend, Kiyoshi. Kagami didn’t really care about finding out; he just didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire.

“If you guys are going to discuss exercises while I’m eating my jumbo chocolate chip cookie you’re going to make me feel guilty,” Momoi grumbled, pushing the half eaten cookie slightly away for only to gasp offended when Aomine snatched it instead. She hit him in the head, but he simply snickered at her. “Stupid ganguro!”

“I just relieved you of your guilt, Satsuki,” Aomine smirked.

Momoi whined. Her gazed landed on Himuro and Kagami then and she perked up. “Did you get all the signatures? You did right?”

“What? Kise didn’t text you about it?” Himuro chuckled as he slumped down next to Hyuuga and Riko, something Kagami was thankful for seeing as they were still silently bickering between themselves.

He took a seat next to Takao who, thankfully, was no longer glaring at him, but seemed interested in hearing about the signatures seeing as he grabbed onto Kagami as soon as he was within reach. “So Kuro-chan gets to keep the dog?”

“Ouch, _yeah_ , let go.” Kagami wriggled his arm out of Takao’s hold. Geezus, the guy was stronger than he looked like and had _nails_ like a woman’s. Actually, they were probably longer than Riko’s.

“That’s so great! Tetsu-kun is going to be so excited!” Momoi clapped her hands together in glee.

Yawning, Aomine straightened up and put his hands behind his head. “How did you even manage that, Bakagami? Case you didn’t notice, Hanamiya and his gang of asses aren’t easy to deal with.”

Kagami opened his mouth to tell him straight out that it was Kise who had managed to get them the last signatures, but stopped himself. Now, he didn’t really care about whatever lover’s quarrel (or lack thereof seeing as Aomine was somehow still in denial over his feelings for Kise after all these years) that those two had going on, but he still wasn’t sure if he should break it to him that Kise had agreed to go on a date with _Haizaki_ so Kuroko could keep Nigou.

As he wondered what he should stay instead, Midorima had probably drawn the conclusion that Aomine would figure out sooner or later, because he said in a curt tone: “Kise agreed to go on a date with Haizaki.”

For moment everyone was _quiet_. Even Murasakibara had stopped whatever he’d been fiddling with behind the counter and straightened up abruptly as if he wondered if he’d heard correctly or not. Aomine’s mouth had fallen open, eyes wide. Frankly, Kagami found this expression rather amusing. He wished he’d brought a camera, but then again if he resorted to something as cheap as blackmail he wasn’t really any better than the delinquent Kise would be going to dinner with on Friday. Boy was he tempted though.

Ironically enough, the blond chose at that moment to walk through the door, pulling Kuroko by the sleeve over to their regular seats in a matter of minutes with a ten-watt smile and legs that bounced up and down in excitement. “Tell him, Kagamicchi! Tell him!”

And he _would_ have, if Aomine hadn’t stood up and grabbed Kise by the arms, shaking him in the process. “Jesus Christ, Kise, is this fucking _true_? Are you going out with _Haizaki Shougo_ ; what the hell is _wrong_ with you?!” More shaking. Aomine’s grip had only seemed to tighten as he jolted the blond back and forth.

“Wha—?” Kise blinked, before he turned a side-ways glare Midorima’s way. Kagami wasn’t even going to question how the blond had instantly understood who was behind this very obvious betrayal.

“What the hell, Midorimacchi! Why did you tell hi— _them_?!” The model asked lividly.

“He was going to figure it out either way, Kise,” Midorima answered passively as he sipped on his coffee, ignoring the way Takao’s hawk-eyes gazed at him.

“You always do this! See? This is why you’re the reason Akashicchi wanted to throw Nigou out!” Kise snapped.

“Something that also would have been figured out eventually. I also fail to see how that matters now seeing as Kuroko will get to keep the dog.”

Kagami instantly bristled and pointed an accusing finger at the green haired man seated next to him. “What the _hell_?! _I_ was going to tell him that! Why do you always have to be such a pain in the ass!?”

“I get to keep Nigou?” Kuroko asked carefully, eyes suddenly wide and hopeful something that made Kagami’s entire insides flutter. He instantly stood and approached Kuroko with a guilty expression on his face. The big blue eyes continued to peer up at him as Kuroko softly said: “Kagami-kun?”

“I’m really sorry!” the redhead blurted out then, blush adorning his cheeks. “I never should have told Midorima just because I was upset and I never should have been upset in the first place, because me an’ Tatsuya worked everything out, but that doesn’t really matter right now. Just— I’m really sorry, Kuroko. S-so Kise and Midorima and I went around the building and got everyone to sign so you could keep the dog. We’ll give them to Akashi when he comes back and then the mutt can live with you no problem.”

“Why the hell would you agree to go out with Haizaki just because of a stupid dog?!” Aomine’s voice broke through the air, but Kuroko (and Kise really, despite the fact that he was still being jolted around by the slightly bigger male) ignored him. Instead, the blue haired man _smiled_ and God it was a pretty smile. Kagami wouldn’t mind seeing that for the rest of his life, which… was very, very sappy, but right now he didn’t really _care_.

“I was actually going to apologize to you, Kagami-kun. I know I overreacted and really it was all Midorima-kun’s fault, not yours.” Kagami heard a displeased grunt from behind him that undeniably emitted from Midorima, but the redhead was too busy feeling the relief washing over him to even acknowledge it. Kuroko’s smile stretched, gaze soft as he took Kagami’s hands. “Please forgive me.”

“W-wha—? _Of course_ , idiot.” Kagami scoffed, shaking his head, glad Kuroko hadn’t let go of his hands just yet. “I mean, seriously, if the mutt means so much to you then obviously it’s only right that you get to keep him, uh.”

“ _Thank you_.” Kuroko squeezed his hands and Kagami swore his heart just grew a couple of sizes.

He heard a whine from behind Kuroko and as he glanced over the blue haired man he saw Kise giving him an urgent look, which was kind of hard to decipher because he couldn’t tell if its origins came from the fact that Kuroko had yet to thank him or because Aomine was still obsessing over Haizaki.

Kagami decided to be the bigger man though and release Kuroko’s attention for the time being. Kise deserved a good amount of recognition after all. “By the way Kise agreed to go on a date with that douchebag to make it happen so you should thank him too,” the redhead said, rubbing the back of his neck as Kuroko discharged of his hands.

Suddenly it all clicked into place for Kuroko who turned to gaze up at his roommate, whom thankfully was no longer being shaken by Aomine seeing as Kise had freed himself by giving the younger male a slap to chest, effectively pushing him away. “Kise-kun, are you honestly going to on a date with Haizaki-kun for my sake?”

The blond froze in mid-motion of keeping Aomine at bay and met Kuroko’s big blue eyes. Kise bit his lip and nodded, suddenly feeling a bit sheepish about the whole thing. He no longer had a crush on his roommate, like he’d had back in Junior High before falling for Aominecchi, but Kuroko was one of this closest friends and definitely one of the few he craved recognition from.

He hadn’t expected the hug. Kagami watched amused as Kise sparkled like the sun as he embraced his roommate who thanked him gratefully in response. Aomine was fuming next to him, but was left unforgotten for the time being so Kise and Kuroko could have their moment.

“I feel guilty now,” Kuroko admitted as Kise _finally_ set him free from his hold. Kagami had to admit he’d started to get irritated. He had nothing against Kise’s close friendship to his roommate, but his touchy nature was sometimes just too much.

“Don’t be, Kurokocchi. So what if I have to take the creep out on one date? Big deal. S’not like I can’t leave if he gets too much. He never gave me any criteria of how long I have to stay or what we have to do, etcetera.” Kise waved the situation off with a dismissive hand, but it only gained him a frustrated growl from Aomine.

“It’s _Haizaki_. You know, the guy who wanted to _hurt you_ — _physically_ hurt you — back in High School? Did you forget what he tried to do?! I risked my High School basketball career by punching him before he got to you, and now you’re going on a date with—”

Aomine froze. Kuroko facepalmed. Momoi bit the inside of her cheek. Midorima sighed, and they heard a slight grunt from Murasakibara that further emphasized just how much Aomine had screwed up at the moment. Well, it emphasized that he’d definitely said _too_ much anyway.

Kise’s amber eyes were big and wide as he looked at Aomine, mouth opening slowly, but no words came out. He didn’t know what to _say_.

Kagami and Himuro remained confused, same as Riko and Hyuuga (who notably had abandoned their argument for the drama that was currently being displayed in front of them.) Only Takao that hadn’t attended Teiko appeared to know what was going on, but seemingly didn’t know whether he found the scene simply fascinating or troublesome.

“You… punched Haizaki for me? He wanted to _hurt_ me?” Kise slowly asked, confusion written all over his face.

“Shit… I… fuck…”

“Good going, Dai-chan. We swore we wouldn’t tell him!” Momoi snapped, effectively landing a whack behind Aomine’s head, which clearly hurt, because the policeman instantly moved his hand up to rub it, flinching slightly in the process.

“You risked being banned from official games in High School for _me_? When was this?!” Kise asked urgently. “Wait, first year? Th-the Winter Cup? Are you _serious_?! I knew he wanted to confront me, but you guys never told me he wanted to— why the hell didn’t you _tell me_?!”

“Anyone else feel awkward?” Takao whispered over at Hyuuga and Riko who nodded very slowly. “Oh, thank God, I was starting to think it was just me.”

“Kise-kun,” Kuroko spoke up softly. “We didn’t want to make you feel guilty. We knew you would react this way. Especially considering it was Aomine-kun who stopped him. If word got out about Aomine-kun punching another player he wouldn’t have been able to attend any championships throughout High School, and if you found out he’d put himself at risk like that you would only get upset.”

“You think I’m less upset _now_?” Kise asked disbelieved.

“Kise, c’mon, it was _High School_. It was a long time ago. Haizaki never told anyone — too prideful I bet — and I got to play just fine. All I’m saying is, he wanted to _physically_ hurt you _then_. You think he’s changed just like that? People don’t just do that, and I don’t want to see him putting his hands on you again, okay?” Aomine’s cheeks had gained a slight red hue that was hardly visible due to his dark complexion.

Kise fell silent for a moment, before he quickly grabbed his bag and said: “I’m gonna go.”

“Wait, Ki-chan, please don’t—”

“ _Oi_ , Kise!”

It didn’t matter that Momoi and Aomine tried to protest, because the blond was already out the door. Aomine sighed and when his pink haired childhood friend slapped him behind the head again he didn’t protest, but accepted it wholeheartedly.

———

“When I was gonna tell you the good news I hadn’t expected so much drama to come with it,” Kagami murmured as moved around the kitchen, dinner nearly finished. Kuroko was seated by his dinner table, a cup of tea placed neatly in his hands and Nigou sleeping by his feet. Kagami had allowed the mutt in, if only because he wanted to spend time with his best friend and if that dog was the prize he had to pay then so be it. He was glad the mutt was sleeping though. It made him feel less anxious.

Kuroko sighed softly, glancing down into his tea with a slight frown that fortunately eased out as Kagami seated himself in front of him, their chicken and rice dinner served in two bowls, Kagami’s considerably bigger than Kuroko’s of course. “Kise-kun hasn’t been home for hours. I’m a bit worried about him, but calling him isn’t going to work. I’m sure Aomine-kun has tried that multiple times already.”

“I didn’t know there was so much shit going with you guys back in when you were teenagers.”

“You should have come to Japan sooner, Kagami-kun. Your presence might have made it a bit easier for me back then,” Kuroko said, sounding almost too serious there for a second. Kagami didn’t know whether to smile or not. Kuroko had just admitted that his presence _soothed_ him. That had to count for something, right?

“Well, I guess there’s not much to do about that _now_ ,” Kagami said with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

“You are right. Unfortunately, we are adults now. Our behavior can no longer be blamed on out of control hormones or selfish teenage desires. This issue is between Aomine-kun and Kise-kun, though also probably Momoi-san seeing as those two were the ones who knew and only told us many weeks after the incident had occurred and the winter cup was over.” Kuroko hummed as he took a sip of his tea, before tasting the chicken. It was delicious. As expected of Kagami-kun.

Said redhead had already finished half his portion. Another thing Kuroko found unsurprising.

Swallowing, Kuroko continued: “Kise-kun never stays mad for long, but this is something I’m afraid he will find upsetting for a long time. Sure, it happened in High School, but he valued Aomine-kun’s skills more than any of us. Even if Aomine-kun was technically my basketball partner no one adored him like Kise-kun did, and secretly I think Aomine-kun thrived on that attention. I think he felt put off when he and Kise-kun went to different schools and he no longer had Kise-kun on his tail twenty-four seven.”

Kagami hummed, scraping what was left of the bowl into his mouth with his chopsticks before he said: “They’re kind of stupid, aren’t they?”

“You only figured that out now, Kagami-kun?”

“Shut up.” Smirking, Kagami nudged Kuroko’s foot under the table, which gained him a chuckle from the blue haired man. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, but it looked better and _sounded_ better than he could recall. He really was crushing on Kuroko. He couldn’t deny that anymore. It was beginning to get too obvious even for him, which was a problem, because then it had to be even more obvious to Kuroko. Unless, the blue haired man really didn’t think of him that way at all.

Something that would probably be _better_ , because no way was Kagami going to jeopardize their friendship over something as stupid as a crush. A _small_ crush. Barely there, really.

“So, you worked out your issues with your brother, Kagami-kun?”

Kagami nodded. “We’re all set. I just have to get used to the idea that Murasakibara is gonna come out of that room more often than not.” Grimacing, the redhead put his chin in the palm of his hand. “I guess I shouldn’t complain. Tatsuya’s working down at the café, he’s got a boyfriend that _isn’t_ going to hit and run, so I can finally concentrate on my own life instead.”

Kuroko tilted his head. “Have you decided what you intend to do with your new life?” he asked with a soft smile.

Kagami returned the smile with a wide grin. “Know what? For the first time since I can remember I’m feeling kind of light. Nothing weighing me down. I’m just kinda… fine.”

“Is it a good feeling?” Kuroko’s smile widened just a bit as Kagami reached his fist out over the table.

“The best.”

They bumped their knuckles together then, Kagami’s smile stretching. Shortly after Kuroko offered to help with the dishes. To Kagami’s relief, Nigou stayed asleep through the most of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> College is screwing me over so I hardly have time to write at all, SIGH, but I hope you guys enjoyed! Please leave kudos/comments! They keep me going ＼(0o0)ノ


	10. The One With The Intervention

At some point during the months Kagami and Himuro had started living in their new apartment complex their apartment had become the center of attention. Kagami wanted to blame his brother’s incessant charisma, because no matter where they went Tatsuya tended to draw people to him, which was understandable, he supposed. His brother was enticing and equally prideful. It was hard to believe Himuro Tatsuya had ever suffered from mental health problems when you first _looked_ at him, because he hid it so well behind smiles and an unrelenting allure that kept people interested.

Kagami, on the other hand, tended to scare people away with his direct and rough personality. Although he had noticed he tended to get a lot of credit for his appearance, it didn’t help when people generally weren’t fond of his attitude. Unlike Tatsuya though, he just had never _cared_ , but _because_ he hadn’t cared he wasn’t used to having so many people suddenly serving him attention.

Though he could do without Aomine coming in and drinking his beer. Kagami felt his eyebrow twitch as the blue haired man downed yet another as he glared out the window from the sofa. A couple of months ago Aomine hadn’t even wanted to be in the same room as him and now he, Midorima, Takao, Kise, Momoi, Murasakibara and Kuroko would invade their apartment at wee hours as if it was their second home.

Maybe it was because of the cozy lounge area Tatsuya had put together, or maybe it was because their TV was the biggest (Kise hadn’t bothered investing in a bigger because he was always on the move and Kuroko didn’t watch it must; Midorima felt such an investment was unnecessary to his roommate’s chagrin.) Either way, they were over a _lot_ and if it hadn’t been for the fact that it meant Kuroko could be found in his apartment just as often Kagami would have protested a long time ago.

Whether he liked it or not, he and Tatsuya had become the hosts of their little social club.

“Aomine, you should slow down.” Midorima frowned displeased in his old teammate’s direction. “It doesn’t matter how many beers you drink, Kise is still out with Haizaki Shougo whether you like it or not.”

Sneering, Aomine ignored Midorima in favor of finishing up the— well, Kagami wasn’t _sure_ , but it had to be the fourth beer at _least_. Once done, he put the bottle away and slumped further into the black couch. “I just don’t fucking _get it_. He should be back by now. They went out around eight? It’s _ten_. Kise should’ve been back in an hour or something. He wouldn’t waste that much time on _Haizaki_.”

Himuro — who had granted his boyfriend’s request of making him chocolate chip cookies — was stirring in a bowl as he glanced over at Aomine. “Did it ever occur to you that he might actually be having good time?”

He was met with dead silence and unimpressed stares from everyone that had ever attended Teiko, including Atsushi who was standing next to him. Himuro blinked. “I suppose not?”

“You don’t know Haizaki like we do,” Aomine grumbled, glaring up at the ceiling. “He’s a psychopath.”

“Aomine-kun may be exaggerating a bit, but he is a very violent person. Kise-kun should indeed have been back by now.”

Hearing Kuroko agreeing with Aomine made Himuro a bit more skeptic. He exchanged glances with Kagami who had stolen some of the dough, much to Murasakibara’s annoyance. (“Don’t eat my dough, Kaga-chin,” “I’ll stop eating your dough when you stop calling me that!”).

“Maybe we should call him?” Takao offered. The black haired man was currently rummaging through Himuro and Kagami’s collection of movies on the floor.

Momoi shook her head, sipping at her tea. “I don’t think you guys give Ki-chan enough credit. He can take care of himself. I’ve seen him handle guys worse than Haizaki-kun. He’s very good at avoiding conflict, you know. It’s not easy being a celebrity, but Ki-chan manages just fine.”

“It’s not like he’s Sanada Hiroyuki, Satsuki! He’s not dealt with _that_ much harassment over the years, and he can be really naïve sometimes.”

“You’re awfully protective over there, Dai-chan,” Momoi drawled.

“It’s your protectiveness that has kept Kise-kun from talking to you for three days, Aomine-kun.” Kuroko rubbed Nigou’s ear, not even glancing up at his childhood friend who effectively bristled at his remark.

“Yeah, big guy. Would you be this concerned if any of us went out with Haizaki or is Ki-chan just _special_?” Takao quipped from his spot on the floor, his expression speaking volumes of just how amusing he found Aomine’s reaction to Kise’s date.

Aomine whipped his head to glare him, grumbled something about being surrounded by little shits, and then rose to fetch yet another beer. Kagami inwardly groaned. If the idiot got drunk he would _not_ take responsibility over him. That was all on Murasakibara, though currently the tall man seemed more interested in munching on the dough leftovers than taking notice of his roommate’s alcohol consumption.

Just as the cookies finished baking the door to their apartment was opened and Kise peeked in, before moving inside and closing it when leaning on his back against the surface.

“Ki-chan! How was your date?” Momoi asked from her spot on the chair.

“I was out with _Haizaki_ , Momocchi. He’s going to use it against me _forever_.” Kise’s lips formed into a gigantic pout as he moved towards the sofa Aomine had been previously seated and slumped into it, head first.

Kuroko, sensing Kise’s sore mood, brought Nigou over and poked his roommate’s head. “Nigou and I are very grateful for your sacrifice, Kise-kun. Aren’t we, Nigou?” The dog barked and Kise had to smile as the canine moved into his arms, licking at his cheek.

“At least it’s over,” the blond then sighed, letting out a slight squeak when Aomine had suddenly placed his hands on his shoulder and turned him so they were looking eye to eye. “Aominecchi, what the hell?”

“He didn’t lay one finger on you? _Not one_?”

“Does it look like he tried to feel me up?” Kise raised an eyebrow.

“Well— _no_ , but why the fuck would he even want to go out with you if he didn’t have some kind of ulterior motive?”

Kuroko sighed, already knowing yet another quarrel would take form in front of him. He decided to save Nigou from getting in the crossfire and took the dog back into his arms as Kise put his hands to his hips, glaring at his old teammate. “Well, Aominecchi, it’s great to know you think I’m just worth dating because of my _body_.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Kise, you _know_ that’s not what I meant. This is _Haizaki_ we’re talking about.” Aomine threw his arms out from his chest and Kise just eyed his entire pose with unimpressed eyes.

“He was actually not that bad today. I’m not saying I like him, he’s still a dick, but Aominecchi we’re not the same guys we used to be back in High School. Except you, maybe. You never grow up.” Kise snorted and turned away from the tanned male to reach for a cookie as Himuro held a plate out towards him. Murasakibara was whining in protest, because urgh _sharing_ , but his boyfriend chose to ignore him.

“Are you even _hearing_ yourself? The guy tried to _hurt you_! _Physically_!” Aomine barked

Kise scowled irritated. “Yeah, something _you_ didn’t tell me about before, oh how long has it been? Right: _nine years_. Seriously, Aominecchi, let it go. Haizaki didn’t do anything to me other than talk too much about himself and smirk like he’s God’s gift to mother earth or something. Also his table manners weren’t much to brag about, but neither are yours or Kagamicchi’s.”

“ _Oi_!” Kagami said, pointing a finger at the blond in protest.

“I’m sorry, Kagami-kun, but he has a point.”

“I didn’t say you guys could hang around here just to insult me.”

“Technically, you never gave us permission, Himuro-chan did!” Takao smirked.

Aomine shook his head and made a beeline towards the nearest armchair to drop into it, scowl well in-place. Kagami couldn’t recall ever seeing him this pissed before. Aomine was usually fairly laid-back to the point where it was annoying and you wanted to punch him. Or well, Kagami wanted to punch him. “Fine, do whatever the hell you want, Kise. Sorry for caring about your sorry ass.”

“Everyone here cares about my sorry ass, but they’re not the ones who kept important information from me.”

“They _did_ —”

“Yeah, on _your_ request!”

“Just stop it!” Momoi snapped, clapping her hand over Aomine’s mouth. “Dai-chan and Ki-chan, you can argue about this _later_. We’re gonna watch a movie and eat cookies. I finally have a night off where I’m not putting together Ki-chan’s schedule, so the least you can do is give your childhood friend and in Ki-chan’s case _manager_ a break!”

When she removed her hand both Kise and Aomine remained quiet. Kagami had to hand it to her, like Kuroko she had the ability to shut the annoying bastards up, though with far more words. Kuroko usually got them to settle down with just a stare. He wished it was a skill that could be taught, but he supposed it all came down to respect and between the rainbow squad Momoi and Kuroko seemed to have the most of it.

“So, what are we watching, Takao?” Himuro asked as Murasakibara settled down in one of the armchairs, pulling Himuro with him. The dark haired male didn’t know whether it was because he was currently in possession of the tray of cookies or if his boyfriend _actually_ wanted to snuggle him during the movie, but either way he was pleased with his seating.

“Die hard!” Takao announced.

“Of all the American movies you guys had to be invested in,” Kagami snorted.

“Well Mr American, you guys gotta introduce us to something else later, but for tonight it’s Die Hard!”

Himuro chuckled and Kagami rolled his eyes, settling down next to Kuroko. He still wasn’t used to the dog so when it made a move to crawl his way he flinched. Thankfully, Kuroko kept him in place though sent him one of his sad puppy dog eyes, which just made him feel like the biggest coward in the world. He _wanted_ to deal with the mutt for Kuroko’s sake, but it wasn’t called a phobia for nothing. His fear was irrational. He couldn’t just turn it off and on like that.

He breathed out in relief when Kuroko instead handed him to Kise who gladly accepted the dog into his lap, rubbing Nigou behind the ear so the canine practically slumped against him. He felt his cheeks heat up as Kuroko inched closer to him then, their shoulders brushing. Takao put the movie in and then lowered the lights. If Kuroko was uncomfortable with the way they leaned on each other he didn’t say anything.

———

“Just because you two are together does not mean I like lookin’ at it,” Kagami grumbled as he came through the door, grocery bags in his hands, and nose wrinkling by the view of Himuro straddling Murasakibara on their sofa, arms around the purple giant’s neck, lips detaching as soon as they heard his voice. Himuro just sent him a teasing smile, while Murasakibara looked like his words meant as much as a two week old rice ball.

Himuro leaned over and placed yet another soft kiss to Murasakibara’s lips, before he pulled back and slid off the taller man’s lap. Murasakibara grumbled displeased with the interruption, but Himuro handing him a chocolate bar seemed to ease his irritation.

“Did you get everything?” Himuro asked.

“Everything on your list.” Kagami confirmed. “What’s this thing you wanna try to make again?”

“Imagawayaki. Atsushi’s gonna teach me.”

“Joy…” Kagami snorted.

“What’s the matter with you, grumpy pants?” Himuro teased, poking his cheek.

“First off, grumpy pants? Really? You’re supposed to be _older_ than me.” Kagami nudged him away but Himuro simply chuckled at him so that certainly wasn’t the satisfactory pouting result he’d been aiming for. “And second off, I’m not _grumpy_. I’m tired. There’s a difference.”

The older brother shook his head. “Not that much of a difference as you think, Taiga. Wait, it’s not because of _us_ right? Because we made an effort to be _quiet_ and—”

“Oh for God’s sake, no I didn’t hear you guys. I used earplugs. Don’t remind me what you two do in there.” Kagami gestured towards Himuro’s bedroom door, and found his eyebrow twitching when Murasakibara audibly snorted. “ _What_?”

“Nothing. Kaga-chin is just very amusing when he’s grumpy.”

“I’m _not_ grumpy!”

“Yes you are, but if it wasn’t me and Atsushi then…?”

“It’s that sex addict next door.”

“Mine-chin?”

Kagami grimaced as he put the grocery away desperately trying to forget waking up to Aomine’s groaning through the walls. It had bothered him in the beginning, of course, but eventually Kagami had been able to get some really effective earplugs and had even managed to sleep without them, because at some point he just got used to the noise. He was a heavy sleeper so it was just natural that Aomine’s sex noises coming through the wall didn’t wake him up anymore.

 _Unfortunately_ , Kise and Aomine’s relationship had just gotten far more strained through the last two weeks to the point where the stupid cop was trying to get to the blond through _more_ one night stands. _Loud_ one-night stands as if he hoped the sound would carry through his bedroom door, then the entrance door and then _Kise and Kuroko’s_ entrance door, before finally reaching _Kise’s_ bedroom. Kagami wondered how long it would take before people noticed he’d committed a murder. And if Aomine really would be as missed as first presumed.

“He’s having loud sex.”

“Mine-chin is always having loud sex,” Murasakibara mumbled as he finished up his chocolate bar.

“No, I mean louder than usual. Like he wants everyone in this complex to know he’s out fishing for boobs and vagina every night, which, if you ask me, is kind of unnecessary because everyone knows he’s an addict who pushes away the dumb blond _guy_ across the hall that we all know he wants to bang and run into the sunset with.” Kagami growled and violently peeled a banana as he murmured curses in English.

Himuro sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck. “If you want, we can switch rooms? Atsushi and I are used to him. When I was with Josh back in LA his roommate had sex with his girlfriend at night while I was in the same room so I’m kind of immune to sex noises by now.”

Kagami stopped chewing and glanced over at his brother. “You’d really do that for me?”

“Sure, but it feels like we’re kind of giving in here. Have you tried to talk to him?”

“Talk to Aomine? I tried that _once_ and I’m not doing it again. Guy’s more unreasonable than your candy king over there.”

“I can _hear_ you, you know,” Murasakibara drawled, glaring at the redhead from the corner of his eye.

“I know.” Kagami shrugged.

Shaking his head, Himuro looked like he was about to say something more when they heard a knock, followed by Momoi sneaking her way inside. “I’m out of oil and I need to make a quick lunch before I head over to Moriyama-kun’s.” She sent them a pleading smile. “Help me out?”

Snorting with a slight pull of his lips, Kagami held up a bottle. “Just brought one. Bring it back when you’re done and we’re good.”

“Thank you, Kagamin, Himu-chan.” She said, gratefully accepting the bottle into her hands. She then frowned and tilted her head. “I don’t mean to be rude, Kagamin, but you look really worn down. Are you okay?”

The redhead snorted for the second time and shook his head as he grabbed for yet another banana. “I would be, but your childhood pal is keeping me up all night trying to remind everyone what a hetero he is. I thought I got used to it, but I think he just broke a new record.”

Momoi flinched. “Oh, yeah, Dai-chan is not… really handling his feud with Ki-chan really well.”

“I wish in his case not handling it well meant that he _lost_ his sex drive,” Kagami sighed.

“If it helps, Ki-chan has been doing the same thing. I think Tetsu-kun is getting really fed up as well. You know, I’ve been thinking, we should have an intervention!” Momoi perked up as Himuro and Kagami exchanged confused glances. “You know, everyone gather around — well the ones closest to them, maybe invite Kasamatsu-san and Imayoshi-san as well seeing as they are their old senpais — and we tell them that having sex with strangers to get to each other is not healthy and that they either need to sort out their feelings together or stop and make up so they can continue to be friends.”

“What makes you think Aomine is going to listen?” Himuro raised an eyebrow as Kagami backed him up with a hum in agreement. “Last time I checked, he is in denial and I mean a _severe_ case of denial. Fact is, I’ve been trying to get Kise to give up on him and move on. Kise may be a spoiled brat sometimes, but he’s one of my best friends and I think he deserves better.”

Momoi put her hands on her hips and eyed Himuro skeptically. “Are you saying you don’t think Dai-chan is good for Ki-chan? Because you don’t know half of their past together, Himu-chan, how can you possibly understand that—”

“Kise admitted that he loves Aomine to me.”

There was a brief moment of complete silence and then Momoi gaped. “He _admitted_ it to _you_? Tetsu-kun has tried to get him to admit it for _two years_ , how did you even manage that?” the pink haired woman continued to look at him with wide eyes. She glanced over at Murasakibara. “Back me up here, Mukkun; Ki-chan hasn’t admitted it to _any_ of us. He’s always lying saying he’s over him even though we _know_ he’s not.”

“Momo-chin is right, but Muro-chin doesn’t lie so it’s got to be true.” The purple haired man shrugged, again looking as uninterested as ever. Sometimes Kagami suspected Murasakibara would have gladly traded in his friends for a couple of maiubo packages.

“Does it matter? I told him he should give it up.” Himuro shrugged, recalling the long talk he’d shared with Kise just a couple of nights ago. They met up at least three times a week to hang out, but this time Kise had been really down and moody, and with enough gentleness he’d somehow been able to get the blond to open up to him completely, all layers down; somehow Kise had accepted full vulnerability in his presence.

 Momoi looked at him, clearly displeased. “But Dai-chan is his lobster!”

“…” Kagami raised an eyebrow.

Himuro simply blinked. “… Lobster?”

“Yes, lobster! Lobsters mate for life! Sakurai-kun told me!” Momoi stomped her foot down in the ground, and pointed an accusing finger in Himuro’s face. “Don’t tell Ki-chan to give up! He’s not the type to throw his desires away like that and if he’s had those feelings for s long then they’re not going to go away that easily and we are having an intervention because, dammit, I _will_ make Dai-chan see that he’s being an ass and needs Ki-chan as his soul mate!”

Momoi then marched determinedly away from them, head held high. There was a long heavy silence in which both brothers simply looked at the door where the pink haired woman had gone off to, before Kagami groaned. “We’re not going to get that frying oil back, are we?”

“Not likely,” Murasakibara shot in from his spot on the couch.

———

Kagami and Himuro hadn’t expected her to actually go through with the intervention, but as they made their way from work — having met up at the café first as Himuro’s shift ended. The brothers got one look at their living room, before Kagami threw his head back and groaned out loud. Himuro simply looked like he didn’t know what to _say_. Glancing helplessly from his younger brother to the crowd that had gathered in their apartment while they were gone.

There was Murasakibara, Momoi, Midorima, Takao, Akashi, Sakurai, Imayoshi, Mibuchi, Kasamatsu and Moriyama, all settled in their lounge area with coffee cups and a banner that said “Intervention”in big bold letters.

“What the _hell_ are you guys doing?” Kagami asked, even though the answer was pretty clear. Big bold letters clear. Really _ugly_ big bold letters clear. Takao must’ve drawn them.

“Oh good, you guys are here! We’re gonna have an intervention as soon as Dai-chan and Ki-chan gets here. Tetsu-kun is going to bring them up and we are going to make them realize they are each other’s lobsters!”

“ _Or_ that they need to talk and decide to move _on_ ,” Kasamatsu added from the sidelines, arms crossed over his chest and eyebrows furrowed together.

“We’ve talked about this, Kasamatsu-san. They are each other’s _lobsters_.”

“What is with the lobsters?” Mibuchi asked Moriyama who simply shrugged at the taller male, equally confused.

“Are you seriously going through with this?” Himuro asked as Momoi grabbed both him and Kagami by the sleeve, pulling them into the group and forcing them to stand specific places, before moving back and looking them all over.

The pink haired woman smiled and clapped her hands together. “Of course!”

“I can’t believe you guys _agreed_ to this?” Kagami commented, glancing at Midorima and Akashi in particular.

“We owed Momoi-san a favor,” Akashi answered curtly with a hint of a smile that always gave Kagami the creeps. “Also, we are getting tired of Ryouta and Daiki’s behavior. I see no harm in trying to reason with them. My schedule is not that packed.”

Midorima simply nodded in agreement at his old captain’s side, pushing his glasses further up his nose and ignoring the way Takao smirked at him. The little devil knew Midorima cared for his friends _far_ more than he would ever admit. He had been such a tsundere from day one, but at least Takao had gotten better at reading him. Kagami? Not so much.

Momoi made sure everyone was in place, before she picked up her phone and sent a text Kuroko’s way. She then turned towards the group with a disturbingly big smile. Kagami had a strange urge to remind everyone that they had invaded _his_ damn property, but decided against it. He could deal with their insanity much better after months of knowing them. Not to mention, if there was even a remote possibility they could get through to Aomine and Kise then maybe he could _actually_ get a good night’s sleep.

Kuroko appeared at the door minutes later, both hands wrapped around Kise and Aomine’s wrists, forcing them inside by insistent pulls. The model and the cop had been complaining loudly for the lack of explanation, but stopped in their tracks as their gaze fixed to the group currently standing in the living room. Kise and Aomine then looked up at the banner, the latter’s face visibly paling.

“Oh _hell_ no.”

Aomine made a move to turn and escape, but Kuroko had already closed the door behind them, lock twisted and his usual, unreadable face staring up at his childhood friend with only a hint of rebellion, as if Kuroko _dared_ him to try to get past him.

“Tetsu,” Aomine growled in warning.

“ _Intervention_?” Kise asked them confused, a frown marring his attractive face as he tried to make sense of what the hell was happening.

“Sit down,” Momoi ordered, hand gesturing towards the unoccupied spots on the couch. Aomine looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could she sent a signal Murasakibara’s way.

“What the _hell_ do you think you’re—AH!”

Against his will Aomine was picked up and dumped down on the couch by his bigger roommate, Kise following suit with a not-too-manly squeak. The blond whined and Aomine cursed, but Murasakibara didn’t serve them a glance, but simply smiled pleased when Momoi handed him a maiubo pack as a reward.

“That’s cheap! Making Murasakibara do your handy work, Satsuki!”

“Shh, Dai-chan, as you and Ki-chan have probably noticed, this is an intervention.” Momoi put one hand to her hip, while the other pointed at the banner over her head. Kagami was actually starting to feel rather amused. Maybe it was incredibly annoying that his apartment had been invaded, but Aomine and Kise’s expressions were currently the most priceless view he had ever seen.

“The hell do we need an intervention for?!” Aomine barked.

“Well, at first I thought Momoi was referring to your rather unhealthy obsession with one-night stands, but as it turns out she— _we_ feel like it is about time the two of you sort out the issue that, let’s be frank, has been around since you were only slightly less stupid teenagers,” Akashi spoke up, authoritative as always.

“Aomine-kun, Kise-kun, although we originally agreed to let you figure out your problems on your own it has now started to affect those close to you and thus we would like to for you to listen to us when we say that you have to consider what your toxic behavior is doing to your friendship not only to each other, but also towards us.”

Kagami felt he should have expected Kuroko to be good at formal speeches, but it still caught him off guard how perfectly well he stood his ground. The blue haired man was standing next to him and Himuro now, regarding his old junior high friends with determination. Kagami wasn’t sure how he knew that. He’d probably spent a bit too much time with Kuroko, he realized, though he also couldn’t find it in himself to see that as a bad thing. In fact, he felt pathetically happy about it.

The pair had fallen silent for a moment, looking at the group first, then hesitantly at each other. Aomine then shook his head and said, tone laced with irritation: “We don’t have a _problem_.”

“Yeah right. Listen here, Aho, I got used to your _usual_ loud sex noises and was able to sleep despite that, but you’ve gotten even _worse_. It’s like you _want_ Kise to hear it from across the hall!” Kagami snorted, glancing at Kuroko for backup. The blue haired man nodded in agreement.

“Kise-kun you are exactly the same.”

Both men’s faces had gone red, Aomine spluttering protests and Kise simply refusing to look at _any_ of them. Kasamatsu had seemed to have bottled up his opinion on the matte inside for too long and quickly stood up, pointing a finger in Kise’s direction. “Listen, Kise, I’m getting really tired of your complaining about the idiot over there—”

“ _Oi_!” Aomine sneered.

“— so you need to either admit that you’re still in love with him and move on, or for real convince all of us that you’re not.”

“Preferably by holding off on sexual encounters for a couple of months.”

“What Kuroko said,” Kasamatsu added.

Again there was an uncomfortable silence. Kise’s gazed had dropped to his shoes, fists curling around his expensive tight-fitting jeans and teeth gritting together. It felt like an eternity before the finally slowly rose from his spot on the couch and calmly said: “So let me get this straight: you guys want me to talk to Aominecchi about my _feelings_ , is that it?” Kagami did _not_ like how hollow the blond currently sounded. It was downright _unnatural_ to hear such a tone coming from Kise’s mouth.

“Ki-chan we want you two to make up. Please, you’re hurting yourselves and the people around you.” Momoi sounded near desperate and pointed an accusing finger at her childhood friend when she got no response from the blond seated next to him. “Dai-chan! You’re both ruining the friendship you have. Either talk things out or drift away from each other. Is that what you want?”

“This escalated very quickly,” Takao noted to Mibuchi and Sakurai who nodded slowly, one looking strangely fascinated while the latter looked like he was terrified of what was going to come next. Then again, Sakurai nearly always looked terrified. Takao never got used to that apologetic mushroom.

Aomine abruptly stood and grabbed Kise’s wrist in the process. “ _Butt off_ ,” he then said, before pulling a protesting Kise out the door, slamming it loudly in the process.

Takao waited for about two seconds, before holding his hand out: “Okay, so how many bet they were going to storm out?”

Momoi bristled. “Taka-chan!”

“ _What_? You think we would have shown up if there hadn’t been any possibility of profit being made.”

“You’re all horrible!”

“I’ve been saying that since I got here.” Kagami had to admit the glares sent his way got to him. If only a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "deal" with Haizaki is not finished! Please keep in mind this is a chapter story and that stuff will be revealed along the way :') so assuming something that is gonna happen won't do you any good, because for all you know I may take in a completely different direction than what you expected!
> 
> Next Chapter: The One With The Kise Ryouta Photo Books (also known as: The One Where Aomine and Kise Get Their Shit Together)
> 
> Please leave comments/kudos! I'm going to get better at answering comments, because the overwhelming support has made me so happy and I feel like some of you amazing commenters deserve to get responses from me! Thank you so much for staying patient and telling me to keep going! ^^


	11. The One With The Kise Ryouta Photo Books

The closet thing Aomine Daiki had ever been to downright panicking was the first time one of his closest friends had confessed his feelings to him. He and Kise had been playing one-on-one, something that wasn’t that unusual during the weekend considering they now went to different High Schools and had to meet up when they both had the chance, but after a couple of hours they were both exhausted. Even when holding back they managed to draw out the best in each other, making the one-on-one an almost better workout than their regular practice sessions at school.

In a lot of ways, he couldn’t say he hadn’t been smitten with Kise, even back then. The problem was Aomine Daiki was not raised in a household where it was okay to be anything but hyper masculine if you were a boy or hyper feminine if you were a girl. He had never even considered that the light fluttering in his stomach when Kise smiled, the way his palms got sweaty when Kise removed his shirt on a hot day, or how he always felt considerably lighter whenever they were together, could be signs of love.

An Aomine simply did not date anyone of the same sex.

Therefore, the first thing he did when Kise confessed to him (his cheeks so red, his eyes so wide and vulnerable, thinking back on it still made Aomine’s stomach twist) was… (almost) panic, before delivering a curt rejection. He was an ass; of course, he realized that _now_ as an adult. Even though his friends (Kise and Satsuki in particular) liked to remind him he had never grown up, he _had_. He wasn’t proud of the way he’d handled Kise confessing to him; not at all, but that was something he couldn’t take back.

Unfortunately, he generally wasn’t good with feelings. He didn’t know how to make amends, he didn’t know how to deal with his own internal struggles and in return he tended to make some really, really crappy decisions. Overall, even when Aomine had ripped himself away from his toxic family and was on his own; living interpedently, having in income, having nothing holding him back from actually going after what he still wanted… he still hadn’t gone for it.

The reason was simple: he wasn’t good enough for Kise. He would never be good enough for Kise.

Kise Ryouta was a flawed human being, true. He was spoiled, he was selfish, he could be incredibly indifferent and cold towards people that didn’t interest him, but this was something Aomine knew because he knew _Kise_. A lot of people wouldn’t know because if there was one thing Kise Ryouta knew how to do it was fool people. He was an amazing actor; he could so easily make people believe whatever he wanted them to believe about him.

And maybe that was why Aomine felt so strongly about him. Because he was one of few that Kise didn’t bother bullshitting around; he was one of few who the blond allowed behind the mask.

And maybe that was why he had also concluded he wasn’t good enough. Because Kise’s good, beautiful aspect outweighed the flaws and Aomine? He was all flaws. Flaw upon flaw upon flaw; no ideal romantic partner. Admittedly, he didn’t like to think he couldn’t offer someone at least _something_ valuable as a friend, but as a lover he knew he would only be a disappointment; someone who would mess up and in the end not give Kise what he deserved.

So even after all these years he’d been in denial about himself, about his feelings, but somehow it seemed that control was slipping more and more, making it harder to understand, even for him, what was happening and whether he was supposed to stop it or not.

However, he couldn’t let himself give in. He would be having a kid soon and then all this would stop, no more dates and hopefully Kise would find someone he’d be happy with or whatever so that this _thing_ between them could finally go away after so many years.

He didn’t realize he’d pulled Kise into his own apartment until the warmth of someone’s skin touching his got too inevitable. He glanced down at Kise who glanced up at him and his first instinct was to let go and yet… he… didn’t… until Kise pulled his hand away, clearing his throat.

Aomine looked away and shut the door to his and Murasakibara’s apartment. As a punishment towards his giant of a roommate, Aomine locked it, knowing Murasakibara had probably forgotten his keys like he always did.

He could sleep over at Himuro’s place tonight without his precious snack stack, Aomine thought vengefully.

There was a long, long tense silence in which neither said much. Kise had placed himself on the couch and was simply looking down at his hands, still frowning. Aomine suddenly felt very tired; tired of being angry and jealous of Haizaki, tired of lying to himself, tired of always having to be defensive. “You want coffee?” he murmured, but Kise shook his head. He hated how… depressed he looked.

But as usual, Aomine bitterly realized how ill suited he was for Kise. He didn’t know what to say to make him feel better, he didn’t know how to make Kise smile again; he really wasn’t good for him.

“I have to take a shower.” He was still in his uniform; Kuroko hadn’t given him any chances of changing before he’d taken them to the “intervention.”

“Go ahead.” Kise shrugged and drew his knees to his chest, leaning his chin on them.

The blond waited until he heard the showerhead running, before groaning into his knees, his grip around them tightening. Kise hated this situation as much as Aomine did, if not more, because Kise had long since been convinced that Aomine didn’t actually feel that way about him. He’d rationalized it with Aomine acting this way because of being protective of his friends, which wasn’t that far off; Aomine acted this way towards Momoicchi and he’d never had romantic feelings for her.

And even if he did still have a twinge of romantic feelings for him, Kise had long since given up of Aomine actually acting on them. Kise knew what household his former idol had grown up in; that internalized homophobia had probably wrecked Aominecchi beyond repair and Kise wished he had the energy to keep fighting for them, but he didn’t have it.

Aominecchi… and him… he didn’t think they’d ever happen.

Knowing if he didn’t find anything to distract himself with, the exhaustion and stress from the previous week would hit him so hard he’d break down and cry; Kise didn’t want to show Aomine that kind of weakness right now, so he stood up and absently made his way into the taller man’s bedroom.

The walls were littered with Horika Mai posters, unsurprisingly. A few posters of motorcycles; Aominecchi had gotten one from his uncle (the only family member who treated him like he deserved to be treated), but his dad had taken that away from him when he was thrown out. Kise felt a twinge of sadness of Aomine’s behalf: there weren’t a lot of material things that Aomine had gotten from his family that had made him happy, but that bike had. Once upon a time.

Sighing, Kise’s eyes fixed to the floor. It was… so _messy_.

Now Kise could be a real mess himself, but often his floors were only filled with clothes due to him having to change too fast, not having time to put them back where they belonged. Aomine’s floor was filled with takeout boxes, gravure magazines, boxes of… god knows what, clothes, empty bottles… the list went on. Kise scrunched his nose up, but realized that if there was one thing that would keep him distracted it was cleaning this stuff up.

Aomine took long showers and Kise was glad for the room between them due to the heavy, uncomfortable tension. Of course, he hated said tension. As he started throwing stuff into a huge garbage bag, he started thinking of how he and Aomine had used to be. In-sync, friends – practically best friends – who spent every Saturday playing one on one, who spent Sundays going to Maji Burger, to the movies.

Sometimes Kise would convince Aomine to go shopping with him with a promise of him giving him a free meal and more often than not it hadn’t taken much convincing… Aomine had seemed like he liked spending time with him, even if he vocally complained and tried his best to look indifferent.

Kise felt his entire chest tighten at the idea that this was how they were going to be from now on. Awkward, quiet, not knowing what to say to each other. Never hang out except for with the others because the air around them was just too tight?

He felt the nausea of it spread from his chest and out in his body; he felt so sick he almost didn’t notice he was about to throw a photo book into the garbage along with the takeout boxes. Thankfully, he caught himself in time.

… Wait.

This… wasn’t Horika Mai?

Kise’s eyes widened. It was _him_.

Why would Aominecchi keep one of his photo books? The other male always seemed annoyed when he talked about them and yes now and then it seemed like he was keeping up, but Kise had never thought he would actually keep one of his photo books. Confused, Kise flipped the pages open and looked at himself. It was a fall line he’d done… five years ago. What did a five-year-old photo book do in Aomine’s bedroom?

That didn’t make any sense. Even if Aomine had a photo book or two of him, he wouldn’t keep them lying around like this unless it was a new edition, would he?

Even more confused than before, Kise let his eyes trail from where he’d picked up the photo book and to under the bed. He reached his arm to under Aomine’s bed and found his hand brushing a cardboard box… no, two cardboard boxes. Kise pulled them both out and hesitantly opened one of them. His mouth dropped.

———

Aomine stepped out of the shower, grabbed one towel to tie it around his waist, while grabbing another to brush over his shoulders, his chest and then his hair. He looked at his reflection, eyed it critically for a second, and sighed. Next to his bathroom mirror hang a calendar; it was circled out on tomorrow. Kikio had texted him and told him he would be allowed to come with her to one of her ultra sounds (“gee, thanks…”) and naturally he’d wanted to go to one where the picture of his baby would be bigger than a small dot.

She was seven months along now, so it was unusual to ask for a picture but Aomine wanted one and it would be his first time attending one too. The woman only sent him curt updates that the baby was fine and healthy, which was great and all, but he hated on how incredibly distant and downright cold she was towards him.

Ultimately, her behavior only made him more certain that he was doing the right thing of taking the baby. Again, he was a very flawed person – all flaws actually. But he was at least goal oriented. He wanted to make this baby’s life the best it could be; he’d do anything to make this Aomine feel loved, because, he thought bitterly, that was something he had hardly experienced himself as a kid.

He was still scared shitless, but at least he was surer of his decision now.

But that was another factor that made the whole idea with Kise even more impossible. He couldn’t be with Kise when he was going to have a baby. He couldn’t ruin Kise’s life like that; both him and the baby would not be good for the blond. Kise was a free spirit; he didn’t need stuff to tie him down when he was heading for the stars… right?

Sighing, Aomine decided he’d wasted enough time in the bathroom. He had to at least check on Kise, tell him he was sorry so they could put all this behind themselves. Was he still mad that Kise had been so careless with Haizaki? Yes, yes he was, but not because of Kise, but because it _was_ Haizaki. Meaning, he had to keep an eye on Haizaki, not keep shredding his friendship with Kise to beyond repair.

As he made his way outside, his gaze fixed on Kise and… oh… _fuck_.

He felt his entire body freeze, eyes going wide, mouth drying up in a matter of seconds.

Kise was standing in a circle of Kise Ryouta photo books from as early as his middle school days when he first started out panning to the one that had come out just three weeks ago. They were all there, not in chronological order, because Kise had not taken them out in any gentle manner, but rather in a fast paced movement of confusion, but it was a very consistent collection. Now the blond was staring wide-eyed at the photo books, not understanding why Aomine Daiki would possess all of these.

This was the second time Aomine felt like he was about to panic and unsurprisingly this time also involved Kise Ryouta.

Said blond’s gaze met his, the confusion written all over his face.

“K-Kise, what the hell are you doing?” Aomine managed to splutter out. “Going through my stuff!?”

Kise didn’t say anything for a long time. He just stared at Aomine who tried his best not to let his own stare falter, but it was hard to do so when he could read every emotion in Kise’s eyes. Disbelief, confusion… okay, there were a few things in there he could not decipher at all, so he spoke too soon, but he had a dreading feeling it wasn’t good. Nothing good could come of this.

“Aominecchi…” Kise spoke finally. His voice was soft. Aomine swallowed. “I can’t believe… you did this.”

He didn’t even know what to say to that. He’d _never_ wanted Kise to find out about this and he’d never been able to explain why he found comfort in his collection of his friend’s books. Part of him had convinced himself – for a long time – that it was to support, well, yeah a friend, because that was what Kise was, what he would ever be, but recently, possibly the last two years, he’d known it meant more than that.

If anything that made this situation even worse.

He took a step back, as if finding comfort in the door being pressed against him from behind and he swallowed thickly. “It’s… just… uh… I… well…” He glanced away, his face burning, hands curling into fists. No, this was all wrong. Kise had to get the completely wrong idea. He’d kept those photo books because he’d wanted _something_. He wanted to admire what he didn’t deserve, what he was convinced he shouldn’t have, and he felt… that even if he didn’t _say_ anything he was supporting Kise.

Which… was probably stupid. A lot of stuff he did was stupid. He definitely didn’t know how to get himself out of this one though, because as far as he saw it, there was no remote way of walking away from this scene without changing their relationship _forever_ , which was the exact opposite of what he’d wanted to accomplish today.

Kise stood up slowly and Aomine pressed his back further against the door. He couldn’t stop swallowing, throat feeling incredibly dry. He still held Kise’s stare until the blond had officially entered his personal bubble. He bit is lip. “H-hey… I’m sorry if you think it’s weird. I g-get it. I’m sorry. I’ll throw them out… I’ll–”

“ _Why_ …?” Kise’s tone made it hard to understand what he was thinking. It didn’t give anything away and it made Aomine feel even more stressed about the situation. “Why do you have them?” The other male’s voice turned quiet: “Please… please don’t lie. Just tell me.”

At that moment Aomine was tired too. So tired of keeping everything shut down. It was something he’d grown used to, but it didn’t make it less exhausting. He sighed, put his fingers to his face, pushing his hair back, before looking at Kise again. The blond’s gaze hadn’t faltered for even a second.

“Because… I…” He couldn’t believe he was going to say this. He couldn’t believe he was giving in because he couldn’t… _fuck_ , he couldn’t _take this anymore_. Growling, he grabbed Kise’s shoulders. “Because I fucking care about you okay?! There! I said it. I care about you. I think you’re… not an idiot. You’re the opposite of an idiot. You’re great. I’m _proud_ of you, so I bought them. And I’m ashamed of myself. Ashamed of the stuff I did in the past, ashamed I can’t… express myself well… all that shit. God, Kise I… just… wanted to support you in a nonverbal way, because I don’t do… words well.”

What he’d just said was a prime example of that. He wished he knew how to express himself, he wished he could be a good partner for anyone, he really did, but that wasn’t him. He was ill suited for anything that wasn’t a friendship or a sex partner, which meant he could never give Kise what he wanted, or anyone else for that matter. He just wasn’t… cut out for this, he really wasn’t.

They just looked at each other. Kise’s eyes were wide in confusion and shock and Aomine swore his heart was pounding so hard it would burst through and land by their feet. Then, determined and without giving Aomine any chance to see it coming, Kise placed his hands to his cheeks and brought him forward.

Their lips met in a softer impact than he’d expected due to the haste of Kise’s actions. Aomine’s eyes were wide and he didn’t know how to respond, but just when he left Kise’s fingers tremble against his skin, lips pulling away, he moved. He grabbed Kise by the shoulders and turned him around as he clashed their lips together once more. He pushed the blond against the door just as Kise’s hands slid to lock around his neck, bringing him even closer.

They were kissing. They were _kissing_.

It was _so good_.

Fuck.

Aomine tilted his head on instinct. Kise opened his mouth to let his tongue slide in as they pressed their bodies closer together. Aomine felt like something in his chest was burning and it made him continue to plant kisses all over Kise’s face, Kise returning the same favor. It was then Aomine realized what they were really doing. They were making out. He was making out with Kise and Kise… Kise was crying?

In one swift moment he’d pulled his head back. His lips felt slightly swollen, and Kise’s _looked_ swollen. They were both panting, eyes wide, faces flushed.

That had just happened.

This was the third time Aomine was close to panicking and again it involved Kise.

Definitely involved Kise.

“You’re crying,” he noted, voice hoarse as he reached his hand out, but caught himself before he attempted to brush the tears away. He was not sure that kiss had changed anything and he wasn’t about to push any boundaries that… hadn’t already been pushed. Fuck, this was such a mess.

“I just… damn it…” Kise dried his tears with his sleeve, still panting slightly. “I just… you… and me… I didn’t think…”

“Kise… I… just…” Aomine groaned and put his hand over his face.

He didn’t look at Kise, but instead let the feeling of helplessness wash over him, because what the ever-loving fuck was he supposed to do now? He’d promised himself he’d back off and let Kise live his life, but if he had to be honest there was nothing he wanted more than to grab Kise and kiss him again, press him harder against that door, feel him against him, hold him and never let his stupid, attractive face go.

Soft fingers locked over his own, they pulled his hands away from his face and his gaze met Kise’s again. It was softer this time and calm. Aomine was suddenly hyper-aware of Kise’s touch, as if pleasant surges originated from that soft skin against his own. Shit… “Aominecchi… can’t we just… try…?”

He didn’t feel even remotely confused as to what Kise was referring to. He knew exactly what he meant and he knew exactly that every reasonable part of his brain told him no, that Kise would be better off without being in a relationship with him, but there was a lot of confusion in Kise. A lot of confusion as to why he’d continued to be in denial, continued to push Kise away for all these years and it made Kise look vulnerable to him. Which was definitely wrong. Kise was anything but vulnerable.

Without thinking, he grabbed him again. He just wanted to kiss him. So he did. He pressed his lips hard against his mouth and lifted him off the ground, causing Kise to gasp into the kiss, arms quickly coming to lock around his neck again. Aomine turned them around and before Kise could grasp it he had him pressed down on the bed under him. He continued to kiss his lips, his cheek, his temple, his forehead, taking in the small, pleasant sounds escaping Kise’s lips as he did.

Then… then when the sudden surge of adrenaline was gone, Aomine pulled away again, face redder than before as he swallowed. “Okay,” he whispered.

Kise’s eyes opened completely, wide in surprise. “You…?”

“Fuck it. Let’s. I’m… fuck I don’t _care_ anymore.”

“Aominecchi…”

“Just… don’t say anything.”

“Talk later, huh?” Kise tilted his head. Aomine could tell he hardly believed that this was happening. He had that far gone look on his face, though the blue haired man liked to believe his kissing had been some part of it. He did need an ego boost after all this

“Yeah… but just… let’s not tell anybody for a while.” Aomine looked away. “Don’t wanna screw anything up again…”

“Aominecchi…” Kise sat up and Aomine pulled back enough for him to do so. The blond then went in for a tight hug, bringing their chests and arms together. He rested his head under Aomine’s chin and the police officer took a deep breath, shoulders slumping. “… just tell me… if there’s a chance.”

“There’s a chance. There’s a fucking huge chance, Kise…”

The arms around him tightened even further and Aomine returned the favor. It was hard to take this in. He’d counted on getting out of the shower and give Kise an awkward apology about his shitty behavior, but instead they’d kissed. _More than once_. Kise had seen the collection of photo books he’d kept. He now knew that even if he’d made fun of them, it hadn’t stopped him from supporting him silently, which he was still embarrassed about, but it wasn’t like he could take it back and Kise seemed touched by the gesture rather than horrified.

And here he was, saying to Kise that he could see… see himself wanting this. Doing this.

“We… do need to talk though,” Kise whispered after a long while. The hold around each other hadn’t loosened.

“I know.” Aomine sighed.

“Like a _lot_.”

“I know.”

They stayed in the same position for another five minutes; then Aomine pulled back to meet Kise’s gaze again. He struggled with what to say at first, but thankfully Kise seemed patient, still probably a bit taken aback about everything that had happened in these thirty minutes. Finally, Aomine murmured softly: “I’m _sorry_. About… everything.”

A small smile broke past Kise’s lips. “We’ll talk about it.”

“Yeah, but just… sorry. Didn’t want to… lose you or anythin’ you know.” Aomine bit his lip.

“I know… I’m sorry too.”

Taking a deep breath Aomine took his hand and squeezed it. This had escalated so fast he felt he needed time to let his mind catch up. Kise seemed to think the same. The blond squeezed his hand back and then let himself slump into Aomine’s bed, letting out a long-drawn sigh. Aomine hesitantly laid himself next to him, his sigh just as long-drawn but possibly louder. They looked up at the ceiling. At some point Aomine felt Kise’s fingers reach for his hand and he opened his palm to let him.

He’d spent the last years rationalizing against this, against Kise, and in one moment of weakness he’d let himself push those thoughts completely away from his mind and now the feeling it had given him was contradicting everything he’d believed and thought up until now.

“Where do we even start?” Kise murmured, breaking the silence.

“… From the beginning. Probably.”

“Do you want to get into it now?”

Kise tilted his head to look at him and he looked straight back. Aomine squeezed the hand in his again. “Yeah.”

———

Momoi hadn’t spoken a single word to any of them as she sat in one of the armchairs at their usual spot at Purple Muffin, having come in early morning the day after. She was glaring down at her mocha latte, eyebrows furrowed together to the point that Himuro felt it had to be somewhat painful to keep them like that. He refrained from saying anything though, knowing full well that she had been in a sore mood from the moment her intervention had failed. He supposed he couldn’t blame her, all things considered. Both Aomine and Kise were a huge part of her life. She cared deeply for them, that was undeniable, so this had to be tearing on her.

Sighing, Himuro put the trays in corner of the counter after cleaning them off and glanced at his giant of a boyfriend who was placing freshly made cinnamon buns in their display. “She looks really upset,” Himuro noted concerned.

Murasakibara’s expression, as usual, didn’t change much as he glanced at his pink haired friend. “Sa-chin will be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Himuro asked as he started making the chocolate chip frappechino he’d just taken an order for. “I’ve never seen her like this.”

“I have. She bounces back even stronger than before. No need to worry, Muro-chin.”

Mursakibara absently leaned some of his weight on Himuro who smiled at the gesture. “All right, if you say so.”

Just then Takao came through the door, Midorima in tow. Kasamatsu, Moriyama and Sakurai were behind them, taking shelter from the rain. Kagami and Kuroko followed quickly, both just as drenched. Himuro smirked. “I’m guessing coffees and hot chocolates?”

“Please,” most of them said in unison.

Takao slumped into the nearest couch and held up his phone as Momoi glanced at him. “Momo-chan, I have some bad news for you. Lobsters don’t mate for life.”

“Huh?” She blinked confused, as if she’d just been ripped out of a haze.

“I just found out. This lobster thing is not real. Lobsters have multiple partners, right Sakurai-kun?”

“Y-yes. I-I made a-an error. I’m so so sorry! I’m so sorry!” The fidgety man bowed several times and Momoi just looked at him with a deadpan expression. She had grown used to the fact that he needed to apologize several times for the smallest mistakes.

She sighed heavily and slumped into the armchair, still glaring into her cup of coffee. “Maybe they really are lobsters then…”

A hand came to rest on her shoulder and she looked to the side to see Kuroko sending her a comforting look. “Momoi-san, you’ve always been important to Aomine-kun. You are his family, but this is not your responsibility. They are adults and need to sort this out themselves. We have done what we could.”

“If you think about it we probably shouldn’t have done anything in the first place,” Takao absently noted as Himuro came with their coffee and a hot chocolate for Sakurai, but was effectively silenced by the look Kuroko gave him when Momoi’s lower-lip started to tremble.

“Momoi-san,” Himuro spoke up quickly. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Oh come on, it’s not going to be fine!” Momoi stood up abruptly, which startled most of them, especially Sakurai; he almost lost the cup of hot chocolate he’d been holding. The pink haired woman started pacing back and forth. “This started all the way back then and it hasn’t been resolved since! _Yes_ , there were periods where Dai-chan and Ki-chan were fine and almost acted as normal, but we _know_ they haven’t been themselves ever since that time in High School. It took forever for them to start talking without it being awkward and finally, _finally_ , they could hang around when we were all in a group again, but it’s like a rollercoaster, it goes up and down and up and down and I-I can’t take it anymore,” She heaved for breath and Kuroko patted her back, afraid she’d need breathing assistance. “They’re lobsters! Like, the real… the _real_ lobsters!”

“I’m still not on board with the lobster thing, what is that about?” Moriyama glanced at Kasamatsu who sent him a tired look.

“I… have no idea.”

Kagam rubbed his temple. “I’d ignore that if I were you.”

Momoi slumped back into the armchair and buried her face in her hands. Sympathetically, Kuroko stroked the top of her head, which made her bury her face into his chest, groaning. The blue haired man knew she was taking this harder than anyone else, but he didn’t know what to do for her. It was true what he had said, they’d done what they could and the rest was up to Aomine and Kise.

“Hey, Momoi, they’re not lobsters,” Takao spoke up in an attempt to be soothing. “They’re uh… you know…” He paused: “… what’s an animal that is constantly in denial that it wants to bone the other animal?”

Midorima flicked him.

Kagami snorted into his coffee and shook his head. After a sip, he threaded his fingers through his hair and grumbled: “Whatever they are, I just want some fucking sleep. And as far as I know, when those guys are in good moods they’re far less annoying than when they’re not.”

“I don’t think there’s anything more to be done,” Himuro said. “We tried. They stormed out.”

Takao smirked and winked at Moriyama. “And you lost six thousand yen.”

“Devil spawn…” Moriyama’s eyes narrowed.

Midorima sighed and pushed his glasses further up his nose. “Whether you fools want to acknowledge it or not, Aomine and Kise are childish and stubborn. We attempted an… intervention.” The green haired doctor paused momentarily to briefly recall that horrendous experience and then continued: “However, since we were unsuccessful with such a direct approach we cannot hope to accomplish anything else.”

“I don’t know, we _could_ lock them in a closet,” Takao suggested.

Kagami perked up and pointed. “I like that idea!”

“We’re not locking them in a closet, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko deadpanned.

“What, why?”

“Taiga…” Himuro shook his head.

Momoi pulled away from Kuroko and returned to glancing down at her coffee, eyebrows furrowing together to the expression she’d had previously, if not a bit more determined than before. “I probably have more faith in them than I should,” she smiled sadly. “Or maybe it really is completely justified. I’m just afraid Dai-chan and Ki-chan need guidance and we don’t give it to them… you know?”

“Sa-chin…” Momoi glanced up as Murasaibara handed her a pink frosted cupcake adorned with a small marzipan rose. She found herself smiling despite her frustrations as she looked up at her old classmate. “It’s going to be okay.”

There was a brief moment of silence where they all sent her their own look of encouragement (which in some cases, like Midorima, meant just a slightly less grumpy look than usual), Nevertheless, it made her blush happily. She sighed, leaned back against the comfortable cushions.

“ _Swans_.” Takao held up his phone.

“Huh?” Momoi blinked.

“ _Swans_ mate for life.”

“They’re not swans. I’d say ducklings,” Moriyama shot in.

“ _Why_...?” Kasamastu looked like he already regretted asking.

“Because, you know, they’re still stupid. Young… in the head.”

“You’re stupid.”

Momoi’s hum interrupted them. She beamed. “Swans it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID THOSE IDIOTS FINALLY TAKE A STEP FORWARD INTO A POSSIBLE SECRET RELATIONSHIP THAT WILL RESEMBLE MONICA AND CHANDLER'S FROM FRIENDS UNTIL EVERYONE KNOWS?
> 
> Maybe.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Fair warning, finals are coming up. I'm working commissions to get some money into my emptying account. I can't promise I'll be updating before around Christmas because of this, but never say never. Thank you for your patience.


	12. The One With The ‘Congrats You’re Gonna Be a Daddy’ Party

Himuro Tatsuya deemed himself as a good judge of character and previous experiences had proven this theory correct. When he had met Kise Ryouta he had instantly known he was his type of friend. The kind of person who could be overbearing with enthusiasm and clingy, but underneath that surface Himuro had known there was a far more complex person. A kindhearted person, but also a flawed one that made it hard to see behind the clear image he put in front of the cameras.

One could argue Kise was good at putting on masks, but Himuro didn’t think the blond was aware that once he was in the environment of friends he trusted, the mask came down. To be honest, Kise had fascinated him since the moment they met, and perhaps it was the fascination but also the complexity that had made Himuro befriend him so easily.

Now, however, Himuro was fazed with a new expression on Kise’s face that he hadn’t seen before since they met and the same face had been present for more than _two months_. It was by no means a bad expression. Kise looked _peaceful_ and perhaps Himuro should understand that since Aomine and Kise, a little more than two months ago, had announced to their friends that they had actually talked and made amends.

Momoi had seemed skeptical –– just like Midorima and Kuroko had been –– but after three weeks of eyeing both Aomine and Kise down, seeing them interact normally, like… _good friends_ , no drama, no tension or anything that had used to be that pair’s specialty, they had come to the unbelievable conclusion that Aomine and Kise… had made up. They were friends. They had talked, then moved past what had been difficult.

When Momoi had asked them openly about what their relationship was now they had both exchanged glances, smiled and said they were friends again.

No one could really tell what had gone down, not even Himuro and Kuroko who were the intuitive ones of the bunch. Momoi had seemed conflicted. On one hand she had hoped desperately for Aomine and Kise to be together, but on the other hand one could tell she was just happy they were treating each other like they had during the good old days. In fact, it seemed to make her emotional at random intervals.

Overall, the last two months had been the most peaceful months they’d ever had, if Himuro had to say so himself.

December had come around quicker than anyone could have anticipated and they had spent the month too busy with Christmas preparations to think over how smoothly Aomine and Kise’s situation had suddenly turned out. Himuro had taken long shifts at the café with Murasakibara, the Christmas season making sales especially high. Himuro swore he couldn’t eat a single pastry ever again once they closed up Christmas Eve to spend it together as a couple for the first time. Not after boxing more than two thousand different kinds of tasty treats for almost an entire month.

Christmas shopping had been spent with Kise, Takao and Atsushi. Surprisingly Aomine and Midorima had been there too, but had definitely not looked happy about it, especially not when, like Himuro had done to Murasakibara, they were forced to carry multiple bags of goods. Aomine had looked particularly pissed off as Kise had shoved yet another Gucci bag into his hands, before fleeing. Himuro had thought briefly that for being _friends_ Aomine sure put up with a lot, but let that go. Aomine was known for using his actions to express an apology rather than words after all.

Now, February had arrived and as the Christmas festiveness had settled, Himuro once more found it strange but not unpleasant that his friend looked so at peace. Kise seemed _content_ and god knows Himuro was happy for him; he just tried to understand how the blond got over such a heartbreak so _fast_ and why Aomine too seemed so okay with that arrangement. Especially since everyone had suspected he secretly loved Kise just as much as Kise loved him, but just didn’t want to admit to it.

Whatever they had talked about had settled a sore spot for both of them and caused them to heal and Himuro could just not _understand_. It didn’t frustrate him as much as he knew it frustrated Momoi, because although he (and Kuroko too) couldn’t quite make all the pieces fit, they also didn’t mind letting it go, unlike their pink haired friend who still was confused alongside the bittersweet feelings of happiness for the content mood of her friends.

“Aomine,” Midorima’s dry voice cut through Himuro’s thoughts, bringing him back to the present where their entire gang was gathered in their usual place at Purple Muffin. He was on his break and realized he’d been looking over at Kise perhaps a bit too long. The blond hadn’t noticed though. “Your fingers are shaking,” the green haired man continued.

“What? No, they don’t. I’m just… fidgeting. Like normal.” Aomine defended quickly. He was holding the picture he had proudly presented to them two months ago, showing off a healthy baby that this same month would be born. Hence why Aomine was shaking like a leaf as he so insistently tried to deny.

“Dai-chan, you’ll be all right.” Momoi patted her childhood friend’s shoulder. Aomine had yet to rip his eyes away from the picture of the baby. He merely grunted at her as a response, frowning.

It was hard to argue that he had a good reason to be nervous. Himuro wasn’t sure how he would feel if he was in Aomine’s shoes. He hadn’t grown up with the best parents, so the idea of being one himself made him feel downright nauseous. Mostly because, if he was to be a dad, he’d want to do a good job, a job he wasn’t sure he could _do_. Aomine must feel the exact same way.

Takao stood up and made his way over to the soon-to-be-father, throwing his arm around him with the cheekiest grin Himuro had seen in a while. Considering they were past the six-month mark of knowing each other, that said a _lot_. “Listen, I have an _awesome_ idea. Why don’t we throw you a party to ease down those shoulders a bit, hm? C’mon, big guy, you remember how to have fun, right? Last time we got drunk together you downed so much beer it came out your nose. It was glorious.”

Aomine put his finger up. “We don’t talk about that.”

Kagami lowered the cup of coffee from his lips. “Aho, we talk about everything. It’s what we do.”

“Then lets talk about something else,” Aomine spat back at him.

“Noo, I want a party! C’mon guys.”

“Takao, you realize Christmas was less than two months ago _,_ right?” Himuro pointed out with a slight grin.

“Yeah, so? We only did New Years together because _somebody_ still has family they like.” At this Takao gestured towards Kuroko. “And two other somebodies was working a shift Christmas Eve” Here he gestured first to Aomine who huffed at him, then at Kagami who just shrugged. “And these two love doves obviously had sex all night.” Takao pointed to Murasakibara who was licking frosting off a cupcake, simply looking at him lazily while Himuro smirked, not denying it at all. “So _I_ was stuck in our apartment with two-eyes over there who was watching re-runs of some crime drama from the 80s.” Finally, Takao pointed to himself, then at Midorima who looked offended he hadn’t found that enjoyable.

“Aw, is that your way of saying you missed us during Christmas, Taka-chan?” Momoi cooed teasingly.

“I missed making fun of you when you _drink._ ” Takao grinned.

“We love you too,” Kise chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Speak for yourself.” Still grumbling, Aomine was able to rip his attention away from the photo of his unborn child and instead tucked it away into his wallet, leaning further back in the armchair he’d been occupying for the last hour. “And calm you tits, since when do people celebrate _before_ a baby is born?”

“Ever heard of a baby shower, smartass?” Takao quipped.

“I’m pretty sure a baby shower is traditionally thrown for the one who is actually carrying the child, Takao-kun,” Kuroko spoke up, tone flat.

“Well, that’s not fair. His baby mama is a dragon; she doesn’t deserve a party.”

Aomine groaned and rubbed his temple. Kise, sensing his secret lover’s distress, quickly spoke up: “Aominecchi, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to have a party. We can celebrate that you’re going to be a dad and that we are all gonna be uncles–”

“I don’t really see how I am possibly the uncle of–”

Kise cut Midorima off. “– how _we are all gonna be uncles_ and that’s _awesome_.”

The blond and the green haired man exchange slight scowls.

“I dunno,” Aomine sighed. “Isn’t common to do that sorta thing _after_ the kid’s here?”

“Ah, it’s cute that you actually think you’re going to have time to do anything that isn’t sleeping when the kid is born.”

“ _Taiga_ ,” Himuro said sternly.

“What? You remember our neighbor in LA? We thought she’d magically disappeared, but turns out, she just had a baby.”

Aomine had visibly paled. Kise once again felt the need to put him at ease, so he reached his hand out and put it over his arm, making him look at him. “Hey, c’mon, Aominecchi, don’t listen to Kagamicchi. It’s going to be just fine. It’s going to be scary… and new… but we’re here to help you, _right guys_?” He turned to look at their dysfunctional bunch of misfits who all nodded. Kise chose to believe they didn’t just do that because his look said that if they didn’t he’d make them regret it.

Once they all nodded, he turned to Aomine again, beaming. “See? You have help, and you’re off work for some weeks after the baby is born. It’ll give you time to get into a routine. And once that routine is set, you have a free spot open at Kurokocchi and Takaocchi’s daycare and it will all slowly fall into place.”

For a moment Kise just looked at Aomine’s face, tilting his head to see if he could get a smile out of him. Which he managed; a small smile, but a smile nonetheless and it was genuine and soft. They almost forgot that the others were around, but thankfully, Momoi clearing her throat ripped them out of that brief trance. Aomine copied her action and cleared his own throat, looking at Takao who annoyingly enough still had his arm thrown around him. “Okay, fine, I’ll let you guys do a party if you get your stinkin’ arm off of me.”

“ _Thank you_. Smooch?” Takao made a kissy face.

“Get off, idiot!” Aomine shoved him off the armrest.

———

Aomine was not going to lie; he was so goddamn nervous. The last two months had gone by so fast he didn’t feel he’d fully grasped what was going to happen. _He was going to be a dad_. He had spent the last eight weeks being so incredibly focused on his relationship to Kise (his _secret_ relationship by the way, which he had thus far been able to keep from Murasakibara, but only because Murasakibara was _dense_ because Aomine certainly didn’t feel they were subtle enough) – that everything else had just faded out.

Now that his and Kise’s relationship had gone this well for two months and nobody knew (which somehow was causing them working on it to feel much more relaxed and easy) he was left to face the inevitable: _the due date._

It wasn’t yet, but it was approaching so fast he didn’t know what to do with himself. His attitude towards the situation varied so much he almost believed he was the pregnant one with mood swings. One moment he felt that spark of excitement along with the nervousness. The determination that he was _Aomine Fucking Daiki_. That he could do anything he set his mind to because he was just that good.

And then, then that doubt would come crashing down on him, because no he wasn’t just that good. He was good at basketball, he was good at his job, he could do some decent skating on a board, and he was a goddamn fast runner if he could say so himself, but _overall_ he realized his skills were mostly physical. Emotionally he was weak and although he took this parenting thing seriously (so seriously that he had, in fact, bothered to read all the books Momoi and Kuroko had presented him with), he was terrified that since it didn’t involve a lay-up or a dunk that he would forget everything.

Sighing deeply, he put on a loose, black t-shirt as he glanced into the mirror, nervously running his fingers through his hair.

“Nee, Mine-chin, Muro-chin says that you should come over soon. They’re starting,” he heard Murasakibara drawl as he walked past the bathroom, the purple giant preparing to leave the apartment to head over to what Takao had fondly announced as a: ‘Congrats, You’re Gonna be a Daddy!’ Party. Aomine was dreading it.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever; I’ll be there soon enough.”

“Mkay. Don’t eat any of my snacks… or drink my chocolate sauce.”

“Dude, I did it _once_.”

“I just don’t understand how you ate my entire bottle of chocolate sauce, Mine-chin. You don’t even like chocolate sauce that much.”

No, but Kise liked chocolate sauce… and had very interested ideas at three in the morning.

“Ah… cravings?”

Murasakibara snorted audibly, but Aomine heard the door shut behind him, which meant he had been left alone. To his own panicking thoughts. He leaned over the sink, groaning. He felt the need to shower his head in cold water, but he had just fixed it up and although he wasn’t Kise he didn’t want to show up to the party with soaked hair. Not when it seemed like Takao had invited the entire building.

Except Haizaki and his misfits, obviously.

He’d even heard rumors that Akashi was back from a long ass business trip for the weekend.

“Aominecchi, are you okay? You look like you’re gonna puke…”

He glanced up to see Kise standing in the doorway. He looked mildly concerned for him, all readied up with parted hair, some of it hanging in front as his bangs, the other slicked back to reveal his pierced ear. The white shirt he was sporting was hugging his chest in all the right ways and suddenly Aomine was busy appreciating the fact that he was in a relationship with this guy rather than thinking about the upcoming date of the birth.  

The cop raised his head and Kise locked the door behind him, leaning against it, smiling softly. “Hey, you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah… yeah, I’m just… thinkin’ way too much.”

“That’s new.”

“Oh _ha-ha-ha_.”

A small pause followed, but soon Kise pushed himself away from the door and made his way over, throwing his arms around Aomine’s neck and bringing him in for a deep kiss that the police officer gladly returned. Aomine found himself pressing Kise up against that door again, sighing through his nose. It was times like these he was happy for having a distraction like Kise around.

When he pulled away, his lips felt pleasantly tingly and Kise’s chest was heaving in a way that he could spot skin between the buttons of his shirt. “We can’t do this right now,” Kise murmured, but contradicted himself by pulling Aomine by the collar down to meet his lips again, this time so intensely that Aomine felt his knees buckle a little.

“Fuck, then why are you kissing me like this, hm?” Aomine pressed him further against the door, arms on either side of Kise’s pretty head.

“Because you’re too fucking sexy,” Kise managed between kisses.

“Well, you’re not _wrong_.”

They shared a snickering laugh and Kise flipped them so now Aomine was up against the wall instead, arms around the officer’s neck to bring him down to continue the trail of kisses over his mouth, his chin, his cheek.

“Fuck, Kise… we should–”

“Mine-chin, you still in the bathroom? Who are you talking to?”

Aomine’s eyes visibly widened along with Kise’s paling face, Murasakibara’s voice being the last thing he’d wanted to hear right now. Fuck. Aomine pushed Kise slightly away, still holding him by the shoulders. “Uh… I’m on my phone, idiot!” he yelled back.

“Why are you still in there?”

“I’m just takin’ my sweet time, okay? I’ll be right out.”

“But I gotta use the bathroom.”

“Why? Use Kagami and Himuro’s bathroom!”

“Muro-chin says it’s going to be occupied for a while. Apparently, Moriyama-san and Sa-chin are making out in there.”

“Is that bastard touching Satsuki again? She dumped him!”

“I don’t care about that, Mine-chin. I need the bathroom.” Murasakibara whined.

“Use Tetsu and Kise’s then!”

He heard a loud sigh, followed by: “ _Fiiiiine_.”

Once he was sure Murasakibara had moved away from the window, Aomine let go of a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding, Kise breathing out as well as he leaned his forehead against Aomine’s chest. Too fucking close. “Man, Aominecchi, they’re going to wonder where I am. You should go first, because everyone’s going to turn their attention towards you and then I can just sneak in when no one notices.”

“You’re not Tetsu,” Aomine reminded him sorely.

“Doesn’t matter; everyone’s wondering why you aren’t there yet, I’ll glide right in.”

“If you say so…”

Kise’s expression softened as he reached his hand out to stroke Aomine’s cheek, making the officer look at him again. It had been such an amazing two months. It had been awkward at first, trying to get past what they had adjusted to for so long, but then, then it had began to run smoothly, like a brand new software and Kise had almost forgotten the frustrations he’d dealt with prior to him and Aomine making amends.

“C’mon, Aominecchi. They’re your friends in there.” He beamed. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Mkay, mkay, just get your pretty ass moving in there as fast you can, okay? I don’t wanna deal with Takao without you. He gets so fucking overbearing when he drinks… Actually, he’s always overbearing.”

“Promise I’ll be right there, now get moving, okay?” Kise leaned up to peck his cheek, and then opened the door for him to get out.

With an overdramatic sigh that had Kise snickering, he did as told and made his way out the door to his and Murasakibara’s apartment to head over to Kagami and Himuro’s next door. He’d been hearing the booming music for forty minutes now, but it was even louder when he opened the door to it. The first thing that happened was a sneak attack from behind by no other than Takao. He had swung his arm around him again, instantly handing him a beer. “Eyyy! It’s big guy! About time!”

“Urgh, if you’re already like this, you’re going to be awful by the end of the night.”

“At least you don’t have to live with him,” Midorima spoke up, approaching them and effectively making Takao let go of Aomine, which the officer was thankful for. At least Midorima could be useful _sometimes_.

“Aw, come on, you guys _love_ me.”

“Sure we do, Takao.” Himuro had come out of nowhere and was now directing Takao towards his old teammates from Shutoku who had paid them a visit. “Go catch up with the other people who love you too.”

“Ah, that’s a great idea! HEY OTSUBO-SANNNNN!”

Aomine rubbed his temple, groaning. “The fuck did I allow this again?”

“Hey, Aomine! Congratulations on soon being a dad, man!” Akashi’s old Rakuzan teammates were holding their beers up towards him in a toast and Aomine just waved at them with a somewhat sheepish nod, unable to keep himself from frowning. He’d forgotten how much he resented this kind of attention; he wasn’t as resentful to it as he was as a teenager, but even if he’d grown up, he found it somewhat uncomfortable.

 _‘Soon being a dad_.’

The words resonated within his head till they were ten times louder than Hayama’s brief shouting from the sidelines. He tried to ignore it by walking up to Kuroko, Kagami and Momoi (who apparently had cut her make out session with Moriyama short), who all greeted him in a far less obnoxious manner. Although Momoi was clearly a bit tipsy, she wasn’t nearly as far gone as Takao. “Ehh, Dai-chan, Dai-chan! Where have you been?”

“Uh, I got back from the station late.”

Total lie.

She didn’t need to know that this entire party was making his skin crawl. He didn’t want to celebrate becoming a dad like this. It didn’t feel right; although Takao had been convincing when telling him he needed a night to just kick back and relax, he was all but relaxed. He felt tense; he almost flinched whenever he glanced at the poster Takao had seemingly put together in the span of ten minutes. There were a lot of bad diaper jokes on it that made his insides squirm.

The fuck was he doing? Was he ready for this?

Fuck, fuck, fuck. He had barely been able to patch up with Kise, barely been able to say yes when he wanted to start up a relationship with him no matter how much he desired to be Kise’s one and only, and now he was celebrating that he was going to be a dad? As if he was ready. As if he was cut out for this.

Suddenly, it felt as he had problems breathing. He felt hot, sweat forming on his forehead and chest tightening for each drag of oxygen.

“I need some air,” he grumbled out, barely giving the others a chance to register that he’d left.

———

“Momoicchi said you looked a little freaked out,” Kise’s hand reached out to touch his, making him look at him despite himself. Golden eyes looked confused by his distressed appearance, but even so Aomine had to admit he did feel considerably better just by looking at Kise’s angelic face. He leaned closer and Kise couldn’t help but blink when they locked arms around each other in a tight hug. He was hoping nobody was spying on them from the window.

Of course, Kise would later learn a lot of them actually had been, because really, there was still an on-going confusion what had occurred between the two of them. Kise sighed and hugged Aomine closer. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Not really… I feel stupid…” Aomine grumbled.

“For being nervous that you’re going to be a dad? Aominecchi, if there is anything we’re allowed to freak out about it's the idea of being parents.”

“Yeah, well, it just feels dumb to be happy and freaked out at the same time.”

Kise had to smile despite Aomine’s clear distress, because in a way this was fairly endearing. He couldn’t recall the last time Aomine had been so open about his mixed emotions. Generally, Aomine Daiki wasn’t the type to share anything, least of all how he was feeling. Kise had, of course, experienced more openness and compassion these last two months when they’d learned how to be together, but overall there was no denying that he still had to peel Aomine open with time and even when he did he doubted the others would experience the same side of Aomine as he wa experiencing right now.

“Daiki…”

Aomine stiffened a bit, cheeks gaining just a small tint of red. “Are we using first names now?”

Kise shrugged. “You’ve seen me in various sexual positions so I figured using first names wouldn’t be the most intimate thing we’ve done.”

The officer cleared his throat. “Point…”

There was a brief moment of silence (as silent as it could get with booming music and hollering coming from inside Kagami and Himuro’s apartment; Kise wasn’t quite sure but it sounded as if Takao had somehow convinced the guests to do body shots.) The blond sighed softly and released Aomine, fighting the urge to lean in for a kiss, but knew that people could still be peeking out now and then. They were still in that honeymoon phase. Kise couldn’t get enough of the touches, the lingering kisses and embraces –– it was getting considerably harder to hide. “Listen… I’m really proud of you for what you’re doing, you know. You’re braver than most people, doing this and it only makes me even happier to be with you if I have to honest.” Kise’s cheeks reddened and he looked away. “Point is, no one would think it’s weird that you’re freaking out.”

Those were the kind of words he needed to hear. He needed to know he wasn’t being an immature shit again, because he had been that a lot through his life and although a huge amount of freedom and carelessness came with it, he couldn’t keep up that idiocy forever. Thinking of giving up the baby tugged on his heartstrings so much he knew he could never do that, which meant he was going to be a dad and although he had decided a long time ago he would be the coolest dad in the history of dads, it also meant he had responsibilities he needed to remember every single time of the day.

He wanted the kid –– god he wanted the kid –– but he also wanted to actually do that kid justice. That was the hard part. It was easy to say: I want this. Everyone could say they wanted something; it was actually doing a good job with it once it was in your possession that it came down to. Aomine ran his fingers through his hair, feeling Kise lean on him, glad that he’d calmed down enough that his chest no longer felt like he had piling blocks pressing down on it.

“Nee, Aominecchi, people are getting really drunk in there,” Kise murmured, breaking the comfortable silence. “I’m sure that we can sneak away without anyone noticing…”

Aomine smirked. “You’re taking advantage of me,” he stated.

“Whaaaat? Not at all! I’m trying to put you at ease.”

“By getting in my pants?”

“I thought that was our thing.”

“Well… you’re right.”

Aomine pulled Kise away by his shoulders enough to look at him, meeting his grin with his own. He was still nervous, but ironically the guy he’d wanted to keep away from all the baby business that was right around the corner was somehow making him more confident. Possibly because he had a feeling Kise would be with him every step of the way instead of pushing himself away from the domesticity that was about to take over their lives.

Maybe he had underestimated just how much Kise wanted him. Wanted them to work.

Thinking about it made him all the more eager to sneak away. Fuck being social. Right now, he just wanted Kise all to himself.

That wish was, however, short lived.

“Hey, are you guys making out?” It was Mibuchi Reo. A very tipsy Mibuchi Reo.

Aomine quickly let go of Kise, turning his head to him. “What? Fuck no. We’re just friends!”

“Mmmkay, sure, sure, just wanted to let you know your phone’s been going off non-stop for at least twenty minutes.” As if a cue Reo held up Aomine’s dark blue flip phone (Kise still berated him for having that old relic) for only for it to go off again.

Rolling his eyes, Aomine moved over and flipped it to his ear. “What?” he asked impatiently into the phone.

Kise watched his boyfriend’s annoyed expression turn into one of pure shock in a matter of seconds; eyes going wide, mouth opening, and ultimately Aomine simply dropped the phone, his hold going lax. Kise moved up to him. “What’s going on?”

“She…fuck… she’s––”

“Oh _shit_!” Kise quickly picked up the phone, asking the man on the phone urgently for directions (Kise assumed this was Kiko’s father). He barely got them before he heard a scream in the background and the click that signalized the call had been ended.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Reo asked sluggishly, clearly confused by Aomine’s frozen state.

“Kiko-san’s in labor,” Kise said urgently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, guys I am so very sorry that you've had to wait forever for this chapter. The thing is, as soon as December rolled around after my last update I was busy literally for a month because I went back home and everyone wanted to see me, and after I returned to the US I felt rather depressed and tired so I didn't write on this even if I had started the newest chapter.
> 
> I'm now trying to write more regularly because I do miss it so I hope that the next update will come much sooner ;U; I hope you guys will enjoy this!
> 
> Next chapter you'll get to meet Aomine's kid!


End file.
